IAI appoints new board chair
Photo: International Aluminium Institute
The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) has announced the appointment of Satish Pai as its new chair. Mr Pai is the managing director of Hindalco Industries, one of the world’s largest integrated producers of aluminium. Earlier serving as vice chairman, he succeeds Ben Kahrs, chief innovation officer, Alcoa Corporation.
Miles Prosser, secretary general of IAI, said: “Satish is an exceptional leader who is as familiar with boots-on-ground issues as he is with geo-economic perspectives. He is well able to convert industry challenges into opportunities – strategic R&D led to Hindalco becoming the first aluminium company to achieve 100% utilisation of bauxite residue in three of the refineries. We welcome him to our board, and I very much look forward to working with him. I would also like to thank Ben for his dedicated service and leadership. Ben has made a very important contribution not only to the development of this association but to the entire industry. On behalf of the members and staff, I’d like to thank him for his service and look forward to his continued contribution to our work.”
The IAI’s purpose is to promote the sustainable development of the aluminium industry and to increase demand for aluminium products by raising awareness of their unique and valuable properties. Satish was the driving force behind Hindalco’s transformation from an upstream company to a fully integrated aluminium player with products that input into future-critical industries such as EV mobility and low carbon transportation.
“I’m excited to work even closer with my industry colleagues and to test the limits of what we can achieve together,” said Mr Pai. “Aluminium is clearly the material of choice of the 21st century and being endlessly recyclable, an integral part of the circular economy. I believe this positioning needs to be amplified so that as a sector, we are able to contribute to the world’s climate action goals. ESG and the sustainability agenda will be key to our future growth path. I’m looking forward to working through the IAI forum to engage with colleagues to take the aluminium story to a new peak,” he added.
An engineer by education and profession, Satish earlier worked with Schlumberger, based out of Paris, where he was responsible for Schlumberger’s operations globally.
Outgoing chair, Ben Kahrs, said: “I am delighted at Satish’s appointment. He understands the association as a long-time member and will ensure all voices in the room are heard. His substantial global experience will help drive sectoral value. I’m confident Satish has all that it takes to lead our industry forward from here on.”
