Naota Furihata Naota Furihata has over 20 years of experience with Mitsui & Co. Ltd. across the steel raw materials and natural resources value chain. He currently leads Mitsui’s iron ore-based metallics business and serves as chief executive officer of a direct reduced iron (DRI) project company in Oman. His career spans a broad range of steel raw materials and mineral resources businesses, with extensive experience in iron ore investment and business development, particularly in Brazil. During seven years based in Brazil, he was dedicated in iron ore, lithium and other mineral resource development, as well as trading across a wide range of commodities, including pig iron, scrap, metallurgical coal, petroleum coke, copper and ferroalloys. In recent years, his focus has shifted to the development of DRI/hot briquetted iron and other low-carbon iron metallics, particularly their role in meeting the evolving needs of the global steel industry and supporting the transition toward lower-carbon steelmaking. Naota holds a master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology. |
