24–26 JUNE 2025 / MARRIOTT MENA HOUSE, CAIRO
CAIRO, EGYPT
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SPEAKER
BIOGRAPHIES
MANAL AL BADAWI
ESG and Sustainability Manager
EMSTEEL Group
Manal Al Badawi is the ESG and sustainability manager at EMSTEEL with more than 15 years of experience. Al Badawi received a dual master’s degree in petroleum and health, safety and environmental engineering, is CFA ESG certified, and is a lead quality, health, safety and environment auditor.
SAID ALAMEDDINE
KARIM ALSHURAFA
President
Vollmer America Inc.
Karim Alshurafa is the president of Vollmer America Inc. In his current role, he is responsible for the North American operations for Vollmer gauges and control solutions.
Prior to his current position, he was general manager of sales and marketing at SMS group Inc. He joined SMS group in 2013, where he held previous positions as key account manager and senior proposal engineer in the Steelmaking Metallurgy department. In 2006, he served as a sales engineer at Heraeus Electro-Nite Co. LLC in steelmaking sensors.
His steel career all started in 2004 as an EAF process engineer intern at Gerdau Ameristeel Whitby in Canada, where he become hooked on the industry after seeing the excitement of a scrap bucket charge in an electric arc furnace. Alshurafa has held multiple positions within AIST. Currently, he serves as chair of the Pittsburgh Member Chapter and as the vice chair and co-founding member of the MENA Chapter.
He is also a past chair of the Oxygen Steelmaking Technology Committee. Alshurafa has a B.Eng degree in material science and engineering (2006) and an M.Eng degree in engineering entrepreneurship and innovation (2012) from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., Canada. Alshurafa is also a veteran of the Canadian Military.
RON ASHBURN
Executive Director
AIST
Ronald Ashburn is the executive director of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST), having served in this capacity since the organization’s founding in 2004. Ashburn is responsible for oversight of business operations and strategic planning initiatives for AIST and the AIST Foundation. He formerly was managing director for the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers (AISE) from 2002 until its merger with the Iron & Steel Society to form AIST. Prior to AISE, he was employed with the German engineering firm SMS, a global builder of steel plants, where he last served as vice president — operations for their Steelmaking and Casting Division in North America. He held previous positions with SMS and the consolidated Mannesmann Demag including vice president — casting and hot rolling as well as director of technology for steelmaking and casting. Ashburn received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and participated in metallurgical process training at University of British Columbia and global business management training at the University of Virginia. He serves on the board of trustees for the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME) and the United Engineering Foundation (UEF).
OSAMA AZAB
Steelmaking Plant Manager
Egyptian Steel
Osama Azab earned a B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering from Suez Canal University, Egypt in 1994. He started his career as a foundry engineer at Amreya Metal Co. (AMC) from 1995 to 1997 and has been in the steel industry ever since. Azab was with Al Ezz Steel Rebars Co. (ESR) from 1997 until 2002 as quality control engineer, then EF/LF shift engineer. He joined Alexandria National Iron & Steel Co. EZ-DK in 2002 and served as SM operation engineer until 2007. At Qatar Steel Co. Doha, his responsibilities were as EF engineer, SMP process engineer, SMP process section head, EF/CC5 plant section head and EFs (3,4 and 5) section head from from 2007 until 2020. He then moved on to Egyptian Steel Group, Sokhna Plant Suez as SMP manager from 2020 until 2022, then was promoted to production senior manager and lastly plant general manager for Bani Suef plant in July 2022.
Karim Badr
Technical Director – Ironmaking
RHI Magnesita
Karim Badr received a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Alexandria University in Egypt in 1996, and an M.S. degree in engineering management, materials science from Sheffield Hallam University, U.K., in 2000. In 2007, he earned his Ph.D. in reduction metallurgy (reduction of iron ore fines by hydrogen plasma) from University of Leoben in Austria. Badr began his professional career as a DRI operation engineer for ANSDK, now called EZDK, in Egypt. In 2004, he took a post at the University of Leoben as a research assistant for four years and joined the ULCOS. After leaving academia in 2008, he was named global marketing and sales manager for RHI AG in Austria and then Kuettner GmbH in Germany. His current function is the technical director – ironmaking at RHI Magnesita. Badr is currently the chair of the youngest Member Chapter of AIST, serving the MENA region. He has published papers on iron ore reduction, refractory solutions and electric arc furnace operations.
SOROUSH BASIRAT
Energy Finance Analyst
Institute for Energy and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) Australia
Soroush Basirat is an energy finance analyst with Institute for Energy and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) Australia, examining the global steel sector with particular focus on green technology transition and the opportunities and barriers for different nations and companies. He analyzes the feasibility of green steel solutions and their requirements for the whole value chain. Before joining IEEFA in 2020, Basirat was a corporate development and investment analyst in the steel industry. He worked on projects related to corporate strategy, financial modelling and valuation in large-scale industries and small and medium enterprises for more than 15 years. Basirat holds a master of business degree with strategic management as a field of interest and has a bachelor of industrial engineering degree with special interest in industrial manufacturing.
MAURO BIANCHI FERRI
Managing Director
Acciarium Alliance
After completing his studies in Milan, Italy, achieving his doctorate degree from Politecnico di Milano and a post-university degree from SDA Bocconi, Bianchi Ferri has spent more than 25 years in the steelmaking sector. In his career he has had several responsibilities appointed by companies like GrafTech (formerly UCAR Carbon), ABB and, more recently, driving the steelmaking division of Tenova as chief of Tenova companies located in Italy, Canada, South Africa, Mexico and Germany. In 2016, Bianchi Ferri had a new idea to do business: from his experience developed after years of market follow-up and customer relations, he founded Acciarium, a steelmaking alliance of automation and process companies with the aim to create value “growing together.” He has also taken part in steel and energy sectors affiliations besides AIST, such as the Italian Association of Metallurgy (AIM) and Italian Electric Manufacturing Association (ANIE), organizing and chairing international events and congress and issuing publication in steel industry magazines such as Steel Times International, MBM of Metal Bulletin, MPT International and Stahl und Eisen of VDEh, and La Metallurgia Italiana of AIM.
JAVIER CASTIÑEIRA
Global Head of HSE
Resonac
Javier Castiñeira is an electrical engineer with a bachelor's degree in marketing, combining technical expertise with strategic business insight. With over two decades of managerial experience in health and safety, operations, and human resources consultancy, he has built a strong background in commercial strategy, business development, and continuous improvement, applying methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma to drive operational excellence. Currently, he leads the Excellence Program, Sustainability and Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) across all global workplaces of the Graphite Business Unit at RESONAC. I oversee sites in Spain, the U.S., China, Malaysia, Germany. Austria and Japan, ensuring high standards of safety, sustainability, supply chain collaboration, and performance optimization worldwide.
IMAN EL-MAHALLAWI, PhD, CEng, CSci, MIMMM
Professor, Materials & Metallurgical Engineering
Cairo University
Prof. Dr. Iman El-Mahallawi earned her B.Sc. degree in engineering from Cairo University in 1981; her M.Sc. degree from Cairo University in 1983 and her Ph.D. from The University of Leeds in 1987. Currently, she is a professor of materials and metallurgical engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University and an adjunct professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department in the British University in Egypt (BUE). She is a founding director of the Centre for Renewable Energy (CRE) at the British University in Egypt. She holds CEng and CSci titles, as well as being a Fellow Member of the IOM3 Royal Institute. She has attended and presented research work at more than 60 international and national conferences, with 27 of them in the largest international conferences in the area, including the annual conferences of TMS.
DOGAN ERTAS
General Manager
GEMKOM MAKINA
Dogan Ertas studied metallurgy at Middle East Technical University. He worked at Kroman Çelik from 2000 to 2008, first as investment engineer/chief and then refractory chief, CCM chief and assistant meltshop manager for the 1-million-tons-per-year meltshop. He then joined CVS Makina as project coordinator in 2009. In 2014 he became sales and marketing coordinator. In 2017 he became an executive board member for MOST Makina ve Enerji AŞ, leading the greenfield project for stainless steel and tool steel production in Türkiye. He joined Gemkom in February 2022 as general manager.
ASHRAF HANNA
Vice President of Steelmaking Solutions and Services
MeltTech Solutions Inc.
Ashraf Hanna is a licensed metallurgical Professional Engineer from Ontario, Canada, with an M.S. degree in metallurgical and production engineering. He worked at Al EZZ Steel Rebars Co. (ESR), Sadat City, Egypt, from 1997 until 2003 as a senior meltshop process engineer. In 2003, he moved to Saudi Arabia to assume responsibility as a steel plant manager for Al Rajhi Steel. He was involved in the early design phase of the steel plant and was able to achieve a performance record after only 7 months from start-up. In 2009, Hanna moved to Canada to work with RHI Magnesita with responsibility for technical market solutions for the Americas. In March 2025, Hanna joined MeltTech Solutions Inc. as vice president of steelmaking solutions and services.
SARA HORNBY
President
Global Strategic Solutions, Inc.
Sara Hornby, variously described as a trailblazer and an inspiration for ambitious women, has continually proven nothing is out of reach for women in engineering. The first woman to graduate from Sheffield Hallam University with a B.Sc. Hons. In metallurgy and a Ph.D. in industrial metallurgy, she spent her early career in the U.K. working for Firth Brown Tools Engineering and British Steel Corp. Her initial Canadian and U.S. Air Liquide roles, developing new technologies and bringing best available technologies to the metals industry (whilst managing multi-disciplinary, multi-location team members), coupled with other electric arc furnace steelmaking optimization positions (Tenova Goodfellow, Midrex, Linde, Intertech, TMS International), put her in good stead to set up her own company, Global Strategic Solutions Inc., which supplies expert consultancy and expert witness to the metals and related industries. Hornby holds five patents and has authored over 136 International papers, seminars and courses. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3) and was their 2022 Hadfield Medal and Prize winner. In 2020, she was the recipient of the Benjamin Fairless Award and the John Bell Award. In November 2023, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering by Sheffield Hallam University in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the international steel industry.
MOSTAFA KHAMIS
Vice President – Key Account Management
Danieli Group
Mostafa Khamis is a mechanical engineer, having graduated from Alexandria University in Egypt. He has 17 years' experience in the steel industry, with 12 years at Danieli Group. He joined Danieli as a senior planning engineer, gaining 9 years of expertise in site construction, commissioning and plant start-up. Subsequently, he transitioned to the commercial department, assuming the role of key account manager to effectively engage with the Egyptian market. He has held this position for the past 7 years. Recently, Khamis was promoted to vice president – key account management, with the responsibility of overseeing the Middle East, Gulf Cooperation Council and Egypt regions. In this capacity, he actively participates in commercial market discussions, conducts market research and prioritizes delivering exceptional customer service.
ROBERT MONTGOMERY
FABIO MUSCOLINO
ENEA PAQUALI
MIRIAM SCHNALZGER
OEM Steel Linings Expert – Global
RHI Magnesita
Miriam Schnalzger has a master’s degree in ferrous metallurgy and industrial economy from Montanuniversität Leoben and an Executive MBA in general management and leadership from California Lutheran University. Schnalzger has served as technical marketing manager for Middle East, Africa and CS, as well as for Europe, CIS and Turkey; and global OEM and key account management for non-ferrous metals and green steel.
ROBERT SORGER
Senior OEM and Technological Cooperation Manager for Continuous Casting
RHI Magnesita
A seasoned professional with over 22 years at RHI Magnesita, Robert Sorger currently serves as senior OEM and technological cooperation manager for continuous casting, driving strategic partnerships and technical advancements in Vienna. His expertise spans the steel industry, including a successful tenure as global sales director for RHI Magnesita sensor division, defining go-to-market strategies, building customer relationships, and managing pricing and margins for electromagnetic and infrared applications. His prior roles include senior technical leadership during the RHI and Magnesita merger, and strategic project management for technical services. Earlier, Sorger spent over 8 years as head of technical product manager for flow control Europe, managing the product portfolio, coordinating product rollouts, and holding IP rights for solutions like TUNFLOW. His foundation includes 4 years as a project manager for refractory application machinery and over 3 years as a product manager and deputy production line manager at Joh. Pengg AG.
PAOLO STAGNOLI
Director, Marketing and Sales, EAF and LF
Tenova S.p.A.
Holding an M.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering and bringing 21 years of focused experience (since 2004) within the steelmaking sector, Paolo Stagnoli is one of the leaders delivering Tenova's meltshop solutions. His expertise covers the full life cycle from technology design through project management to after-sales support. Stagnoli is frequently selected to represent Tenova meltshops on the global stage, presenting cutting-edge technological advancements to industry experts at major international forums. He is passionately committed to driving innovation and shaping the future of steelmaking technology.
LEONARDO TAMEZ
Technical Sales Manager
Tenova HYL
Leonardo Tamez is an engineer from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, with over five years of experience in the steel industry, specializing in the direct reduction process. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey and has international experience from the Technical University of Dresden. Throughout his professional career, he has held key positions at Tenova HYL, as well as completed a placement at Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH in Salzgitter, Germany. In addition to receiving various scholarships and awards — including the Steel Intern Scholarship from AIST, the Young Engineers Scholarship (KOSPIE) from DAAD, and an academic merit scholarship from Tecnológico de Monterrey — Tamez is known for his passion for the steel industry and for developing and implementing innovative and sustainable technologies for decarbonization in steel production. Over the course of his career, he has worked in areas such as research and development, production, project management, and commercial operations.
