• Yoshiharu Ikeda, currently CFO of Primetals Technologies, to take up the new role as CEO
• Andreas Weinhengst and Karl Purkarthofer appointed new CFO and COO, respectively
• Changes to become effective on April 1, 2025  

Primetals Technologies today announced Yoshiharu Ikeda has been appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Primetals Technologies. He succeeds Satoru Iijima, who will continue to serve as a Director of the Board and Fellow Advisor. Yoshiharu Ikeda brings decades of experience in the metals industry to his role, and he has a track record of successful leadership in commercial and strategical roles as well as in the machinery business sector.

An Experienced Leader

“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.”

Yoshiharu 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.

“Primetals Technologies is an international community of more than 7,000 metals engineers and specialists. Together, we take on these challenges, and I really look forward to being part of this endeavor.”

New CFO and COO

Effective April 1, 2025, Andreas Weinhengst, CFO of Primetals Technologies Austria since 2018, will succeed Yoshiharu Ikeda as CFO. He has worked within the metals industry since the early 90’s in different leadership positions in commercial sales, accounting, and controlling, both in Austria and abroad. His job experience includes roles as Commercial Head M&A of Kvaerner Metals Business at Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau and Head of Accounting and Controlling at Siemens VAI Metals Technologies, the predecessor company of Primetals Technologies.

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 this role, he will head several global functions, namely supply chain, turnkey, manufacturing, project management, engineering, quality management, and environmental, health & safety. The responsibility for individual projects remains with the respective business areas.

Karl Purkarthofer brings several decades of international experience from global leadership positions he held in Austria, the US, and UK, including Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy and M&A at Siemens VAI and Executive Vice President and Head of Global Business Unit Services at Primetals Technologies. In April of 2024, Karl Purkarthofer became CEO of Primetals Technologies Austria, a position he will continue to hold going forward.

Satoru Iijima will continue to serve as a Director of the Board and Fellow Advisor.

Andreas Weinhengst will succeed Yoshiharu Ikeda as CFO of Primetals Technologies.

Karl Purkarthofer will take up the newly established role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Primetals Technologies.