Inge Hofkens joins the Aurubis Executive Board and strengthens the focus on the recycling business

At its meeting yesterday, Aurubis AG’s Supervisory Board appointed an additional member to the multimetal provider’s Executive Board: As Chief Operating Officer Multimetal Recycling, Inge Hofkens (51) will be responsible for the segment’s production sites. These include the recycling sites in Lünen (Germany), Olen and Beerse (both in Belgium), Berango (Spain), and the new Aurubis Richmond site in Augusta, Georgia (USA). The Belgian-born Hofkens currently serves as the Managing Director of the Aurubis site in Olen. An economist by training, she began her career at Metallo-Chimique International in various purchasing and sales positions, before becoming Chief Sales Officer (CSO), and later a member of the management of the former Metallo Group.

Prof. Dr. Fritz Vahrenholt, Chairman of Aurubis AG’s Supervisory Board, said of the appointment of Inge Hofkens,

With her nearly 30 years of experience in the field of multimetal recycling and in responsible management positions, Inge Hofkens brings outstanding expertise to the role. She will push forward the growing recycling business in Aurubis’ integrated, international smelter network. On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I wish Ms. Hofkens great success in her new role on the Aurubis Executive Board.

Inge Hofkens said, “I am honored by the trust placed in me, and I look forward to working with my fellow Executive Board members and employees. Aurubis is already one of Europe’s leading recyclers, with a copper cathode production recycling rate of more than 45 %. I want to work with the entire team to contribute to the further strengthening of the important recycling business and the achievement of our growth goals in this field.”

Roland Harings, Chief Executive Officer of Aurubis AG, emphasized, “Recycling is a pillar of our strategy and a key driver of sustainable, profitable growth at Aurubis. I am pleased to have Inge Hofkens as an experienced, skilled colleague on our Executive Board team. She will put all her energy into her responsibility for this key growth driver for the company, and with her proximity to the market and our suppliers, she will further expand our recycling business.”

Discussions regarding a successor to Inge Hofkens’ current position as Managing Director of the Aurubis site in Olen will be carried out soon in order to fill the position by the end of the year.

Furthermore, the Supervisory Board extended the mandate of COO Dr. Heiko Arnold (56) by another five years. His contract now runs until August 15, 2028. “In light of the successful development of Aurubis AG and the associated production results, I am pleased that the Supervisory Board has extended Dr. Heiko Arnold’s contract for another five years,” said Prof. Dr. Fritz Vahrenholt. “The future distribution of the COO positions to the two segments is a sensible, strategically important decision that will strengthen and further expand the multimetal production in both the primary and secondary areas.”

With the expansion of the Executive Board starting next year, Dr. Heiko Arnold will focus on the primary and product business as COO Custom Smelting & Products. In this role, he will be responsible for the sites in Hamburg and Stolberg (both Germany), Buffalo (USA), Pirdop (Bulgaria) and Pori (Finland).