BARBARA SMITH
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Commercial Metals Company
The honor of receiving the Willy Korf/Ken Iverson Steel Vision Award has meant a great deal to every recipient. The 31st annual award goes to Barbara Smith, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Metals Company. The Willy Korf/Ken Iverson Award is presented to individuals and groups who have made a major contribution to the steel industry in terms of advancing technology and change while, at the same time, promoting the goodwill and integrity of the industry.
The 2023 Willy Korf/Ken Iverson Steel Vision Award will be presented during the Global Steel Dynamics Forum conference, to be held at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, NYC on June 26-28, 2023. The Global Steel Dynamics Forum, a successor of the Steel Success Strategies conference held each June is the world’s premier steel industry gathering.
Barbara Smith is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Metals Company. Barbara joined CMC in June 2011 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. She was then promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2016 and to CEO on September 1, 2017. Prior to joining CMC, Barbara was the Chief Financial Officer for Gerdau Ameristeel and FARO Technologies. Her career also includes over 20 years of service with Alcoa Inc. where she held a variety of leadership positions across various businesses within Alcoa. In addition to her role at CMC, Barbara serves on the Board of Directors for Comerica Incorporated. She previously served on the Board of Directors at Minerals Technologies Inc. from May 2011 through July 2017. Barbara has been actively involved in various community organizations including serving on the Dallas and Tampa Boards of the American Heart Association. In 2020, Barbara was recognized by S&P Global Platts as the winner of the Global Metals Award, 2020 CEO of the Year. Barbara was the recipient of the 2019 Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) Steelmaker of the Year Award. In 2022, Barbara received the AIST William T. Hogan, S.J. Memorial Lecture Award and the Central Division EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Barbara currently serves as the American Heart Association Southwest Division Chairman. She is also a member of the G100 Network and served as Advisor to the Chair on the 2021 B20 Employment & Education Task Force. Barbara is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Accounting and is also a Certified Public Accountant. In 2013, she was recognized as a Purdue University Old Masters distinguished alumnus.