Maria Långberg will take up the position as president of Merox AB on 1 November 2014 and assume responsibility for the Group’s sustainability work as of 1 September 2014, reporting directly to SSAB’s president and CEO, Martin Lindqvist.
 
Merox AB is a wholly owned subsidiary of SSAB, tasked with optimizing SSAB’s management of by-products, scrap and waste, with a focus on sustainability. Merox covers the entire chain, from R&D and production to marketing and sales. The operations primarily consist of three parts: recycling of material to the metallurgy process within SSAB, processing and selling material and products externally, and dealing with waste which cannot be recycled or processed into new products. Merox AB’s external sales in 2013 amounted to SEK 217 million.
 
SSAB's purchase of Rautaruukki was completed on 29 July 2014. One important task will be to achieve well-functioning integration of Merox with Ruukki’s operations within the management of by-products, scrap and waste in the new Group. In 2013, Ruukki recorded external sales of SEK 293 million from this business.
 
In addition to operational responsibility for Merox AB, the position also includes responsibility for coordinating the Group’s sustainability work and Public Affairs, including:

• Business ethics issues
• Environmental and energy issues
• Sustainability reporting and ethical investments
• Personnel-related sustainability issues
• Sustainability strategy
• Dialogue with politicians and members of society regarding sustainability issues

 
“I have chosen to concentrate responsibility for sustainability work within the new SSAB in a single position in order to further strengthen our focus on these issues. For me, it's a question of doing what's right for the environment and our surroundings, and also creating commercial value for SSAB, in which Merox and the work on managing by-products, scrap and waste play an important part. I'm convinced that, with her background and expertise, Maria will make a very positive contribution to SSAB's sustainability work,” said Lindqvist.
 
“It will be extremely exciting and interesting for me to take up this important role. Steel production is demanding in terms of both energy and resources, and we must continuously endeavor to minimize our environmental and social impact,” says Maria Långberg. “In order to succeed, it's important to integrate the sustainability dimension as a natural part of our business strategy and operations.”  
 
Maria Långberg joined SSAB in March 2013, assuming temporary responsibility for the company’s external communication and, on 1 October 2014, she took over the position of EVP & head of Group Communications. Before that, she was a senior consultant at the communications advisory firm JKL and, before that, served as head of communications at the medical-technology company Gambro, where she had previously held various positions within HR, sales, marketing, strategy and business development. Maria Långberg holds a bachelor degree in business administration from Uppsala University and an MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics.
 
Hanna Friberg, currently president of Merox AB, will take up the position as head of business development at Merox on 1 November 2014.