Primetals Technologies has officially named Yoshiharu Ikeda as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), succeeding Satoru Iijima. Iijima will remain involved as a Director of the Board and Fellow Advisor. Ikeda, with decades of expertise in the metals industry, brings a proven history of success in both commercial and strategic leadership roles, particularly within the machinery sector.
An Experienced Leader
“Yoshiharu Ikeda has spent decades advancing organizations within the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, and we are thrilled to welcome him as new CEO of Primetals Technologies,” says Satoru Iijima. “He is an exceptional leader who will support our vision of being the pioneer and global leader in the metals industry.”
Yoshiharu Ikeda started his career at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the mid-80s’, and has held several global positions including Manager, Global Sales for Mitsubishi-Hitachi Metals Machinery and CEO of Primetals Technologies USA. He is currently Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Primetals Technologies.
“The metals industry is in an interesting and at the same time challenging phase. Working with customers in every corner of the globe, our role is to innovate the industry and redefine how sustainable metals are produced. This does not only apply to the upstream area and projects like HYFOR and Smelter – but also the downstream area, and, for example, the electrification of furnaces in rolling mills and processing lines and our ground-breaking Arvedi ESP technology. Additionally, digitalization is an essential part of our innovation efforts. We are innovating within the fields of digital decarbonization, emissions monitoring, robotics, and process optimization – just to mention a few areas,” says Yoshiharu Ikeda.
“Primetals Technologies is an international community of more than 7,000 metals engineers and specialists. Together, we take on these challenges, and I really look forward to being part of this endeavor.”
New CFO and COO Appointments
Starting April 1, 2025, Andreas Weinhengst will take over as CFO of Primetals Technologies, succeeding Yoshiharu Ikeda. Weinhengst has served as CFO of Primetals Technologies Austria since 2018 and has extensive experience in the metals industry, having held various leadership positions in commercial sales, accounting, and controlling since the early 1990s. His career includes roles as Commercial Head M&A at Kvaerner Metals Business at Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau and Head of Accounting and Controlling at Siemens VAI Metals Technologies, Primetals Technologies’ predecessor.
Alongside this change, Karl Purkarthofer will assume the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Primetals Technologies, effective with the company’s new financial year. In this role, Purkarthofer will lead several key global functions, including supply chain, turnkey, manufacturing, project management, engineering, quality management, and environmental, health, and safety. However, individual project responsibilities will remain with the respective business areas.
Purkarthofer brings decades of international leadership experience, having held senior roles in Austria, the US, and the UK. His previous positions include Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy and M&A at Siemens VAI, and Executive Vice President and Head of Global Business Unit Services at Primetals Technologies. He became CEO of Primetals Technologies Austria in April 2024 and will continue to hold that position in his new COO role.
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