Galdino Claro, CEO of Sims Metal Management, with headquarters in New York and Sydney, has announced that the current consulting agreement between Sims Metal Management Ltd. and Lion Consulting Asia Ltd. will not be extended beyond its expiration date of June 30, 2015. However, to ensure a seamless transition, Michal Lion, the sole principal of Lion Consulting Asia Ltd. and current chairman and director of Sims Metal Management Asia Ltd., has agreed to enter into a new consulting agreement that ends Sept. 30, 2015, at which time he will conclude his role with Sims Metal Management.
Lion has held various roles as a consultant within the Sims Group since 1997. Since 2003 he has been head of the company’s Centralised Marketing Entity (CME), which he initially established while consulting for Sims in Sydney in 2007. This operation was later integrated as part of the newly formed Sims Metal Management Asia Ltd. in Hong Kong, where Lion, in his consulting capacity, has managed and advised both the group’s commodity hedging and risk controls and directed the purchase, sales and export of nonferrous metals and products, notably by directing the centralized international nonferrous metals trading activities of the Sims Group companies, according to a news release from Sims Metal Management.
“I would like to thank Michael for his long association with the company, and I look forward to working closely with him on this restructuring and transition,” Claro says. “His strong international business acumen, global industry relationships as well as his skill and expertise in the commodities and hedging areas have added great value to the company over the years and are deeply appreciated.”
With the restructuring, effective July 1, 2015, the CME trading operations will come under the direction of Bill Schmiedel, president of Sims’ Global Trade operation, and the financial operations of the CME will report directly to Fred Knechtel, Sims Metal Management Group chief financial officer, both based in New York.
“Bill and his team are currently responsible for the international and domestic sales and trading and other related activities of all ferrous scrap of the Sims Group,” Claro said. “I am confident that the CME operations will be seamlessly integrated into Sims’ Global Trade and Group financial operations.”
He adds, “I am looking forward to working with Michael and Bill over the coming months as we build on the strong relationships we have with our valued nonferrous customers.”