BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GrafTech International announced today that Marcel Kessler has been appointed as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, and has been elected to the Company’s Board of Directors, all effective July 1, 2022. David J. Rintoul, the Company’s current Chief Executive Officer and President, previously informed the Company of his intention to retire from the Company and resign from the Board effective as of June 30, 2022.
Mr. Kessler previously served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pason Systems Inc. (TSX: PSI) (“Pason”), a global provider of specialized data management systems for oil and gas drilling, from 2011 to 2020, and has been a director of Pason since 2012 and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pason. Before joining Pason in 2011, Mr. Kessler was President, North America, of Exploration Logistics Group, an assistance, medical, safety and security solutions provider, President and Chief Executive Officer of CCR Technologies, a provider of solvent reclaiming services, and was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm.
“The board of directors is pleased to announce Marcel’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer and believes that he is the right person to lead GrafTech through the next phase of the Company’s growth,” said Denis Turcotte, Chairman of the Board of GrafTech. “Marcel’s track record as a chief executive officer of a public company in a complementary industry, combined with his vision for GrafTech, bodes well for our stakeholders and employees. I look forward to working with Marcel,” said Mr. Turcotte. “We thank Dave Rintoul for his dedication and we wish him well in his retirement.”
About GrafTech
GrafTech International Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of high-quality graphite electrode products essential to the production of electric arc furnace steel and other ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The Company has a competitive portfolio of low-cost, ultra-high power graphite electrode manufacturing facilities, including three of the highest capacity facilities in the world. We are the only large-scale graphite electrode producer that is substantially vertically integrated into petroleum needle coke, a key raw material for graphite electrode manufacturing. This unique position provides us with competitive advantages in product quality and cost.