Engineering news
Global metals business, Liberty House Group, has recruited international steel executive, Virinder Bahadur Garg, to lead the production and distribution operation at its Liberty Steel Newport (LSN) plant, as the business continues its growth in the UK.
Garg, 50, who is currently chief of marketing and sales for ArcelorMittal’s flagship Ukrainian plant at Kryviy Rih, will become chief executive of South Wales-based LSN from March 1st.
The Punjabi-born graduate mechanical engineer, who has an MBA from INSEAD Paris, has built up a 25-year industry track record which encompasses JSW and Tata steel in India and ArcelorMittal in UAE, Luxembourg and Ukraine. In addition to marketing and sales, Garg is said to be a specialist in supply chain management.
In his most recent appointment he led the marketing and sales divisions for more than three years at the large Kryviy Rih facility, which produces six million tonnes of long products a year, including billets, rebars, wire, rod and merchant bars.
During his time at Kryviy Rih, he oversaw sales profitably in every quarter during difficult times for the steel industry and unrest in Ukraine.
He explained that his first priority at Liberty will be to “focus on increasing LSN's market share in the UK, growing both organically and by acquisition".
LSN, which restarted its Newport-based rolling mill in October, is already producing 10,000 tonnes a week of hot rolled coil and Garg said his aim is to increase this to one million tonnes a year within 12-18 months.
Executive chairman of Liberty House, Sanjeev Gupta said: “We have big ambitions for our steel operations in the UK and we are very pleased to have recruited someone of VB’s experience and calibre to lead the business into the next phase of its expansion. Steel is a global business and his direct experience, which encompasses no fewer than 75 countries, will be invaluable to us in building a profitable and sustainable enterprise here.”