Chennai: ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) has announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Dilip Oommen, will retire on June 30 after a distinguished 22-year association with the company, including its earlier avatar as Essar Steel. He will continue to remain associated with the organisation as a Board member of AM/NS India and will take on the role of Vice-Chairman at ArcelorMittal India Private Limited, representing the global steel major’s interests in the country.
The company has appointed Amit Harlalka, currently Chief Financial Officer, as the new CEO, effective July 1. Harlalka joined AM/NS India in December 2019 as Deputy Director, Finance, and was elevated to CFO in January 2023.
Prior to his current role, Harlalka spent several years with ArcelorMittal across international markets including Mexico, Zenica, and Luxembourg, handling key finance and project responsibilities. He began his career at Hindustan Unilever Limited. A chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, he also holds an MBA in finance from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. In addition to his new role, he has been appointed a Member of the ArcelorMittal Group Management Committee.
Commenting on the transition, Aditya Mittal, Chairman of AM/NS India and Chief Executive of ArcelorMittal, said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dilip for being a great first CEO for ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India. A highly experienced steel industry executive, he knew the operations inside-out, brought stability at a time of change, and played a critical role in helping establish trust as we built the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel brand in India. We were lucky to have him, and I am delighted that he will retain a strong connection with the company as a Board Member, and also Vice-Chairman of ArcelorMittal India Private Limited.”
He further added, “As a trusted and long-serving senior executive, most recently as CFO at AM/NS India, Amit has proved himself more than ready to step into the CEO role. He has strong knowledge of the operations and has been intimately involved in the growth plans not only for steel, but also renewables. I also know that Amit highly values safety, an imperative always, and even more crucial with so much expansion and construction underway. In his capable hands I am confident AM/NS India will have a very bright future.”
Reflecting on his tenure, Oommen said, “It has been an honour to serve as ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India’s first CEO. I could not have imagined that we would achieve so much in just over six years. I have been supported by an excellent team including Amit, who is a strong leader with all the right credentials to lead the company during its next exciting phase of growth. I will continue to follow all the developments with great interest and of course will retain a close contact with both AM/NS India and ArcelorMittal going forward.”
Expressing his outlook on the new role, Harlalka said, “It is a privilege to be trusted to be the next CEO of AM/NS India. The potential of the company is enormous, and I will be focusing on ensuring we can meet all this potential, starting with our aspiration to be accident free. We have a great team of people who are excited and motivated by the unique opportunity they have to help build Atmanirbhar Bharat. We will have a lot to do, and I can’t wait to get started.”
