EVENT
PROGRAM
TUESDAY, 16 JUNE 2026
8:30 a.m.
Conference Opening
Ronald Ashburn, Executive Director, Association for Iron & Steel Technology
9 a.m.
Tech Talk: Insatiable AI — Steel Success Stories
Steel plants are a wellspring of manufacturing data that used to be stored and left to ferment. But with AI’s insatiable thirst for vast, complex, and continuous data sets, steel producers can now distill the numbers and enjoy measurable improvements in yield, consistency, cost performance, and sustainability. This panel will highlight real‑world success stories demonstrating how AI is optimizing steel production.
Moderator: Timothy Van Audenaerde, Managing Director – Global Metals Lead, Accenture
Panelists:
- Thomas Kirk, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ScrapChef
- Berk Birand, Chief Executive Officer, Fero Labs
- Navit Gill, Vice President – Automation, YOGIJI DIGI
- Karthikeyan Natarajan, Chief Executive Officer, Infinite Uptime
10:05 a.m.
Networking Break
10:30 a.m.
Energy Panel: Steel’s Power Imperative
The accelerating electrification of steelmaking is colliding with real-world constraints on grid capacity and reliability. This panel will examine the growing tension between the industry’s rising power demands and the infrastructure needed to meet them — exploring how alternative energy sources, including renewables, nuclear and distributed generation, are being evaluated as viable pathways to support the next generation of steel production.
11:35 a.m.
Presentation
Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
12:10 p.m.
Networking Lunch
1:30 p.m.
Tech Talk: Making the Grade — Innovations for Supply Chain Independence
Electrification and power grid expansion will require value‑added steels, especially electrical grades. These materials are among the most demanding steels to manufacture, requiring sustainable production methods and increasingly precise mechanical properties. Every aspect of the production chain is being reconsidered, from macro processes to individual equipment design. This panel will examine how new production equipment, advanced process technologies and targeted capital investments are enabling steelmakers to meet sustainability and performance requirements.
Moderator: Ronald Ashburn, Executive Director, AIST
Panelists:
- Rolando Paolone, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technical Officer, Danieli & C. S.p.A.
- Representative from Tenova
- Lee Morgan, Chief Executive Officer, The Systems Group
2:10 p.m.
Interview
Máximo Vedoya, Chief Executive Officer, Ternium
2:45 p.m.
Interview
Naveen Jindal, Chairman, Jindal Steel
3:15 p.m.
Willy Korf/Ken Iverson Steel Vision Award and Willy Korf Young Excellence Award Ceremony
- Steel Vision Award Recipient
The Gerdau Johannpeter Family
Young Excellence Award Recipient
Julian Cejka, Senior Scientist, Montanuniversitaet Leoben
3:30 p.m.
Networking Break
4 p.m.
Interview
Steve Laxton, President and Chief Operating Officer, Nucor Corp
4:30 p.m.
Presentation
Timothy Van Audenaerde, Managing Director – Global Metals Lead, Accenture
5:05 p.m.
Interview
5:35 p.m.
Cocktail Reception
WEDNESDAY, 17 JUNE 2026
8 a.m.
Opening Session
Philipp Englin, Chief Executive Officer, World Steel Dynamics
8:35 a.m.
Global Steel Perspectives
A roundtable of global steel industry leaders examining the forces reshaping the industry on a worldwide scale. Discussion will span the evolving geopolitical and trade landscape, the macroeconomic headwinds and tailwinds influencing investment and production decisions, and the shifting dynamics of global steel supply and demand — with perspectives from executives operating across multiple continents and market environments.
Moderator: Edwin Basson, Director General, World Steel Association
Panelists:
- André Bier Gerdau Johannpeter, Chairman, Gerdau
- Uğur Dalbeler, Chief Executive Officer, Çolakoğlu Metalurji
- Mario Arvedi Caldonazzo, Chief Executive Officer, Arvedi Group
9:50 a.m.
Interview
10:20 a.m.
Networking Break
10:55 a.m.
Presentation
Boston Consulting Group, Speaker TBD
11:30 a.m.
Interview
Stefan Rauber, Chairman of the Management Board, Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co. KGaA
12:05 p.m.
Networking Lunch
1:15 p.m.
Tech Talk: A Ferrous Affair — A Mature Material Meets a Fine Future
Long considered one of the most mature and integrated stages of steel production, ironmaking is now being reshaped by new operating models, decarbonization imperatives and the growing role of alternative metallics. This panel discussion will explore how alternative feedstocks, new supply chain architectures and emerging technologies are reshaping iron production in the modern steel ecosystem.
Moderator: : Ron Ashburn, Executive Director, AIST
Panelists:
- Joe Dzierzawski, Vice President Sales and Strategy, Primetals Technologies USA LLC
- Stephen Montague, Member of the Board, Midrex Technologies Inc.
- Ricardo Monte Alto, Senior Partner, Hatch
1:55 p.m.
Interview
Mark Millett, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Steel Dynamics Inc.
2:20 p.m.
Automotive Industry Outlook
An examination of two forces reshaping global automotive and steel demand: the shifting production and market share landscape across USMCA, Europe and China as legacy OEMs face intensifying competition; and the structural advantages driving Chinese OEM growth — including rapid model cycles, vertical integration and evolving materials strategies — and what they mean for steel demand over the next decade.
Abey Abraham, Managing Principal, Ducker Carlisle
2:45 p.m.
Trade Roundtable: USMCA
This roundtable will examine the implications of USMCA renegotiations for the steel industry and its downstream customers — exploring how shifts in trade rules, tariff structures, and regional content requirements are reshaping supply chains across North America and affecting competitiveness for both steel producers and the industries they serve.
3:30 p.m.
Networking Break
3:50 p.m.
U.S. Downstream Sector Panel
The U.S. downstream steel sector is navigating a period of significant structural change. This panel examines how steel service centers are adapting to a shifting policy environment, evolving customer requirements and the growing trend toward consolidation — with perspectives from leading companies on how scale, operational efficiency and strategic positioning are defining the next chapter for the sector.
Panelists:
- Geoff Gilmore, President and Chief Executive Officer, Worthington Steel
- Edward Lehner, Chief Executive Officer, Ryerson
- Janice Lee, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group
4:50 p.m.
Presentation
David Burritt, President and Chief Executive Officer, United States Steel Corporation
5:30 p.m.
Cocktail Reception
*This schedule is tentative and subject to change.
