Tata Steel announced leadership changes in Europe. The current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of Tata Steel Europe, Karl Koehler, has decided to step down as well as from a director’s post in Tata Steel Limited so he can take up a senior leadership position with a large privately-owned industrial company in Germany.
However, he will be serving in an advisory role in Tata Steel.
It is significant that he is leaving in the middle of the sale talks to which the future of thousands of UK steel jobs are associated. The Steel Works Union expressed concern regarding the timing of Koehler’s exit.
Koushik Chatterjee, Group Executive Director and member of the boards of Tata Steel and Tata Steel Europe, will be Tata Steel’s Executive Director for Europe in addition to his current responsibilities.
With effect from March 1, 2016, Hans Fischer, currently Chief Technical Officer of Tata Steel Europe, will be appointed Chief Executive Officer and will join the Board of Tata Steel Europe. He will report to the Board of Tata Steel Europe and will seek advice and guidance relating to the business from Koushik Chatterjee. Fischer joined Tata Steel Europe as Chief Technical Officer on July 1, 2012.