Gangl, 52, left the helm of Borealis, one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and sustainable polyolefin solutions, for his new position on 1 July. At Liberty, he will be responsible for all of the company’s European plants, including its major operations at Galati in Romania, Ostrava in the Czech Republic, Dunaújváros in Hungary, Częstochowa in Poland, and downstream operations in Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and North Macedonia.

“Thomas’s appointment continues our trend of attracting top-class leadership talent to support the transformation of our group in its pursuit of green steel and carbon neutrality by 2030. Thomas’s experience in managing complex business environments and major capital projects will be vital as we stabilize our businesses in Europe, seek to attract fresh capital and transition away from coal-based steel production,” said Liberty Steel Group executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta. 

Additionally, the company announced that Liberty will move its European headquarters to Vienna, part of a broader plan to establish a new European holding company registered in Vienna. Vienna offers a central European location close to Liberty’s major plants with access to financial and professional service industries, the company said. 

“The establishment of a new European group headquartered in Vienna will mark a new chapter for our businesses with its core focus on leading the development of green steel in our neighboring Central and Eastern European locations,” Gupta said.