Aurubis appoints ArcelorMittal chief as executive board chairman

Copper producer Aurubis AG of Germany has appointed Juergen Schachler as executive board chairman of the Aurubis Group.

Schachler, who currently oversees the southwest Europe flat products division of ArcelorMittal Europe, is scheduled to assume his new role in Hamburg on April 1, 2016, and has initially been appointed until March 31, 2019.

He succeeds Dr. Bernd Drouven, who was dispatched from the supervisory board to preside over Aurubis for one year and will return to the supervisory board on November 1, 2015.

Aurubis will be led by executive board members Dr. Stefan Boel (production and products) and Erwin Faust (CFO and corporate functions) in the period between November 1, 2015 and April 1, 2016.

“With Juergen Schachler, we have gained a manager with decades of experience who will continue Aurubis’ successful course with enthusiasm,” says Professor Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann, chairman of the Aurubis AG Supervisory Board.
Schachler studied economics and started his career in the chemical industry in the 1980s, including at Solvay & Cie, before switching to the steel company ArcelorMittal in 1993. His career at Arcelor took him to a number of countries including the U.S., Mexico, Thailand, Germany and Canada, where he led and sustainably positioned various Arcelor companies.

“The chance and the challenge of being able to shape Aurubis’ business in the next few years in a significant position within the Group are compelling. The Group, which is a key player in the global copper industry, provides every opportunity for further positive development on a very stable foundation,” Schachler says of his new responsibilities.
Of the group’s performance during 2015, Drouven comments, “We utilized the past year to initiate important projects and to set the Group’s strategic course, which can serve as a basis for the next few years. I am very pleased with Aurubis’ current situation and am going back to the Supervisory Board with a great deal of satisfaction to continue supporting Aurubis.”

“We are exceedingly grateful to Dr. Drouven for his exceptional work during the past 12 months. He led Aurubis to outstanding internal and external results during his year here. This involved countless projects and processes that set a number of priorities for Aurubis’ development,” says Fuhrmann.