HKM's management now systematically aligned with transformation and the integration into the Salzgitter Group

• With this organizational restructuring, the focus will be even more strongly on key future issues and challenges
• As spokesperson for the management board, Andreas Betzler is driving HKM’s strategic development forward. Heiko von Hagen will serve as managing director of production, while Martin Zappe will be responsible for sustainability and new construction.

Following the acquisition by Salzgitter AG, the management structure of Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann GmbH (HKM) is being systematically realigned to master future challenges. With a newly appointed management team and enhanced post-merger integration, the key future priorities – new construction projects, transformation, and integration into the Salzgitter Group – are taking center stage even more strongly than to date.

As part of the reorganization, Andreas Betzler has assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer and Spokesperson for the Management Board effective July 10, 2026. In this role, he will be responsible for the continued integration of HKM into the Salzgitter Group and will drive the company’s strategic development forward.

As Head of Post-Merger Integration, La-Toya Müller will play a key role in supporting integration efforts. She will support and drive the organizational and cultural integration of HKM into the Salzgitter Group.

Dr. Heiko von Hagen has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Production. The former head of Supply Chain Management at Salzgitter AG Holding was most recently responsible, among other things, for the allocation of HKM slabs within the group and draws on extensive experience from his collaboration between HKM and Salzgitter AG.

Martin Zappe, Program Director of SALCOS®, has been appointed Managing Director for Sustainability and New Construction Projects at HKM. Drawing on his many years of experience in planning and implementing SALCOS®, Salzgitter AG’s transformation program, he will shape the next crucial steps in the construction of Germany’s largest electric arc furnace in Duisburg.

At the same time, Dr. Peter Biele, who has served as HKM’s Chief Technology Officer, will be leaving the company. Carsten Laakmann, as Director of Labor Affairs and Managing Director of Human Resources, continues to round out the executive team alongside Andreas Betzler, Heiko von Hagen, and Martin Zappe.

Gunnar Groebler, CEO of the Salzgitter Group, commented as follows on the restructuring: “Peter Biele led HKM with great dedication and a high level of professional expertise during challenging times, providing important impetus for the company’s further development. We are very grateful to him for his valuable contributions. At the same time, by restructuring HKM’s management team, we are laying the groundwork to successfully shape and design the upcoming challenges of transformation in the steel industry and to leverage the opportunities that arise.”

Andreas Betzler, spokesperson for HKM's management, adds: “With the new organizational structure, we are pooling the expertise required to tackle HKM's decisive future challenges. Our goal is to position the company for long-term economic and technological sustainability, to successfully advance its integration into the Salzgitter Group, while at the same time setting the course for the transformation of steel production. This restructuring is aimed at strengthening the company's long-term viability and laying the groundwork for successful and sustainable growth in the upcoming years.”