Hydro Appoints New Leaders for Aluminium Extrusion Units in Europe and North America
Hydro has appointed Erik Fossum and Jeff Lehman as the new leaders for its aluminium extrusion businesses in Europe and North America, respectively. Erik Fossum will serve as the new business unit president of Extrusion Europe, succeeding Bruno D’hondt, who successfully led the unit since September 2018, delivering strong results over the period.
Jeff Lehman has been appointed business unit president of Extrusion North America, taking over from Charlie Straface, who is retiring after 45 years in the aluminium industry. Straface led the North American organization for the last nine years, helping it become the leading provider in terms of quality, reliability, and service.
“North America and Europe are our largest markets in Hydro Extrusions, and our focus is to continue creating value through close collaboration with our customers and to grow our market share. With Erik and Jeff in place, we are accelerating the execution of our 2030 growth strategy,” said Paul Warton, executive vice president responsible for Hydro Extrusions.
“The market situation is challenging right now, but the long-term outlook for aluminium and extrusions remains very positive. We need to ensure that we continue to future-proof our customers by delivering the best aluminium solutions, with the right environmental footprint, while attracting and retaining the best talent, which is fundamental to our success,” Warton added.
Extrusion Europe is the largest of the four business units in Hydro Extrusions, with 8,300 employees. Extrusion North America is the second-largest, with 5,600 employees across plants and offices in the United States and Canada. Together, the two units generated revenues of EUR 5.4 billion in 2023.
Erik Fossum, who joined Hydro in 1995, has held several management roles, including leading the company’s primary aluminium commercial team for seven years. Before taking over Extrusion Europe, he led Hydro Extrusions’ Precision Tubing unit, which focuses on heat transfer applications for the automotive and HVAC industries.
Jeff Lehman has been with Hydro since 2012, most recently serving as head of Hydro Extrusions’ operations in Asia, based in Suzhou, China. Before joining Hydro, Lehman held various commercial roles in the manufacturing industry, including positions at Alcoa, Technoform, and HA-International.
“I would like to thank both Bruno and Charlie for successfully leading these important units over the past years, and I look forward to continuing our growth journey,” said Warton.
