Karl Haider has taken up the role of chief commercial officer for Tata Steel in Europe to further strengthen the company’s focus on customers.
He replaces Henrik Adam in the role who became chief executive officer of Tata Steel in Europe in June this year.
Karl joined Tata Steel in Europe in 2011 as director downstream operations. He began his career in the steel industry as an apprentice at voestalpine in 1981. He went on to study Technical Chemistry and Business Economics at the Johannes Kepler University in Austria. Karl has a PhD in Natural Science.
From 1997, Karl filled a number of commercial roles, including product manager and sales director at the Dutch chemical company DSM from 2001 until 2006. He then returned to voestalpine, first as a project manager, and then as a member of the executive board of the High Performance Metals division of voestalpine AG.
Karl said: “My goals are simple: to listen to our valued customers, understand their needs and deliver an excellent experience for them.
“These are challenging times for the European steel industry. However, we have the capability and the determination to succeed, to deliver on our promises and to grow stronger for the future.”