Yoshiharu Ikeda, currently CFO of Primetals Technologies, will take on the new position of CEO. Andreas Weinhengst and Karl Purkarthofer have been appointed as the new CFO and COO, respectively. The changes will take effect on April 1, 2025.
Primetals Technologies announced that Yoshiharu Ikeda has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He succeeds Satoru Iijima, who will continue to serve as a Director of the Board and Fellow Advisor. “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.” 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.
New CFO and COO
Effective April 1, 2025, Andreas Weinhengst, CFO of Primetals Technologies Austria since 2018, will succeed Yoshiharu Ikeda as CFO. Also effective with Primetals Technologies’ new financial year is the appointment of Karl Purkarthofer in the newly established role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Primetals Technologies. In April of 2024, Karl Purkarthofer became CEO of Primetals Technologies Austria, a position he will continue to hold going forward. Source:
Primetals Technologies
