Leadership Team

Mr. Sudhakar “Sud” Sivaji has served as Chief Executive Officer of Aperam since 1 January 2026. During the interim period from 1 October 2025 to 31 December 2025, he served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Aperam.

Mr. Sivaji previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Aperam beginning in 2020 and brings more than 25 years of experience in the steel, alloys, and aerospace industries. Before joining Aperam, he spent 12 years at thyssenkrupp’s Steel and Material Services businesses, holding leadership roles across Europe, the U.S., China, and Brazil. Prior to that, he spent seven years at Honeywell Aerospace in various engineering and program management roles across North and South America, India, and China. He is a German citizen.

Ms. Vanisha Mittal Bhatia joined Aperam in April 2011 and has since held the position of Chief Strategy Officer. She is a non-independent Director of ArcelorMittal and was appointed as a member of the LNM Holdings Board of Directors in June 2004. Ms. Mittal Bhatia joined Mittal Steel’s Board of Directors in December 2004, where she worked in the Procurement department, leading various initiatives, including the “Total Cost of Ownership” program.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the European Business School and is the daughter of Mr. Lakshmi N. Mittal. Ms. Mittal Bhatia is a citizen of India.

Mr. Nicolas Changeur has served as Chief Financial Officer of Aperam since October 1, 2025, and has been a member of the Aperam Leadership Team since November 2014. Previously, he held the positions of Chief Executive Officer for Services & Solutions and Chief Marketing Officer for Stainless Europe from September 14, 2020. He served as Chief Marketing Officer for the Group from November 2014. Mr. Changeur joined the Group in 2003 as Head of Strategy for J&L, USA. He subsequently held various positions within the stainless segment, focusing on strategy and operations in Europe and South America. Prior to joining the Group, he spent two years as a Senior Associate at AT Kearney, a strategy consulting firm.

Mr. Changeur holds a Master of Science in General Engineering from École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers and a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD. He is a citizen of France.

Mr. Frederico Ayres Lima has served as Chief Executive Officer of Stainless Europe and Services & Solutions Europe since October 1, 2025. Prior to this appointment, he was Chief Executive Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of Stainless & Electrical Steel South America from September 2020, and before that Chief Operating Officer of the same business unit from December 2014. He previously held the role of Commercial Director at Aperam Stainless & Electrical Steel South America, which he assumed in 2009.

Mr. Lima began his career with the Group in 1996 in Brazil as a metallurgist, where he gained experience in cost efficiency, technical assistance, and production. From 2000 to 2003, he worked in exports and, following his appointment as Manager in 2003, took on responsibilities in Europe, focusing on synergies between mills, logistics, and coordination of the stainless sales network. He returned to Brazil in 2006, where he served as Export Manager and later as General Manager.

He holds both Engineering and Master of Science degrees in Metallurgy from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, as well as an Executive MBA in International Business Management from Fundação Getulio Vargas. Mr. Lima is a Brazilian citizen.

Mr. Rodrigo Villela has been the Chief Executive Officer of Aperam South America & Renewables since October 1, 2025.

Mr. Villela joined Aperam in 2000 and has held various leadership positions across the Company. Notably, he served as Chief Financial Officer for Aperam Brazil, overseeing financial operations and strategic initiatives. He has also led financial and commercial functions for Aperam Stainless in Brazil and Europe, contributing to the company’s global financial strategy.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and has completed advanced executive education at Fundação Dom Cabral and IBMEC. Mr. Villela is a citizen of Brazil.

Mr. Frédéric Mattei has been Chief Executive Officer of Alloys & Specialties and Chief Innovation Officer since June 2014. He began his career in 1998 at Creusot Loire Industrie, where he held successive positions as Project Leader, Manager of the Hot Rolling Mill and Clad Plates Workshop, and Logistics and Quality Manager. From 2005 to 2007, he served as Head of Strategy and Innovation for ArcelorMittal’s Global Plates business unit.

In 2007, he became the Manager of the Le Creusot plant, part of ArcelorMittal’s Industeel unit. In 2013, Mr. Mattei joined the Salzgitter Group as CEO of Salzgitter Mannesmann Stainless Tubes – France.

Mr. Mattei is a graduate of France’s École Polytechnique and École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and holds an Executive MBA from ESCP-EAP. He is a citizen of France.

Mr. Jan Hofmann has held the position of CEO of Recycling and CEO of Services & Solutions Americas since October 1, 2025. Previously, he served as CEO of Recycling & Renewables division, Chief Sustainability Officer of the Group, COO of Services & Solutions division, and CEO of the global tubes business. Mr. Hofmann joined the Group in 2021.

Prior to that, Mr. Hofmann spent 9 years at Outokumpu, serving as a member of the leadership team in various management positions including Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Information Officer and President of the Asia-Pacific business division. From 2005 to 2012, he worked at thyssenkrupp’s Stainless Steel division as VP business development. Mr. Hofmann holds a Master of Science from the East Asia Institute of the University of Business and Society Ludwigshafen and is a citizen of Germany.

Mr. Bert Lyssens has been Chief Human Resources Officer and Head of Communication since April 2015 and Chief Sustainability Officer since October 1, 2025. He began his professional career in Belgium as an Executive Search Consultant at Schelstraete & Desmedt in 1994, before joining Cimad Consultants in 1997 as Project Staffing Manager and IBM in 1998 as HR Manager.

From 1999 to 2005, Mr. Lyssens held senior HR positions at AT&T, an American multinational telecommunications corporation, with assignments in the Netherlands and the UK and responsibilities across EMEA. He joined Agfa-Gevaert in 2005 as HR Director responsible for EMEA and was appointed HR Director International at Agfa Graphics in 2006. In 2008, he became VP Human Resources at Agfa HealthCare, and in 2010, he was appointed Group Vice President.

Mr. Lyssens holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Ghent and is a citizen of Belgium.

Mr. Geert Verbeeck has held the position of Chief Technology & Information Officer at Aperam since October 1, 2025. Previously, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of Stainless Europe. Prior to this role, he was Chief Technology Officer at Aperam (and a member of the Leadership Team) from April 2020, with responsibilities for Health, Safety & Environment, Industrial Risk & Innovation, and Purchasing.

Mr. Verbeeck began his career at ArcelorMittal in 1989, holding several positions in IT and Automation from 1989 to 2004 at the Gent, Bremen, and TailorSteel Genk sites. In 2004, he became Head of the Automation Department at ArcelorMittal Gent. From 2006 to 2014, he served as Plant Manager of the steel plant in ArcelorMittal Gent. In 2014, he was appointed Chief Operations Officer of ArcelorMittal Gent and, in 2015, Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal Poland.

Mr. Verbeeck graduated as an Engineer in Computer Science from KU Leuven University, subsequently specializing in medical image processing and artificial intelligence. He is a citizen of Belgium.