HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 6, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Worldwide industrial services company Harsco Corporation (NYSE:HSC) announced today that William R. Jacob is joining the Company to assume the Americas region leadership of the Harsco Metals business group, effective today.
In his role as President-Americas for the Harsco Metals group, Mr. Jacob will assume senior management responsibility for all Harsco Metals group operations and business growth opportunities throughout North and South America. Following an appropriate transition period, Michel Kratz, who has held the position during his assignment to the Americas, will assume new responsibilities at the Metals group headquarters in the U.K. Harsco Metals is the world's leading provider of on-site, outsourced services to the global metals industry, serving leading producers at approximately 170 locations in 35 countries worldwide.
Mr. Jacob brings to his position over 30 years of direct metals industry experience, most recently as president of North Star BlueScope Steel, an Ohio-based joint venture between Cargill Inc. and Australia's BlueScope Steel. Before that, Mr. Jacob served as president of New Zealand Steel, a division of BlueScope Steel focused on integrated steelmaking, iron production and raw material mining. He has also held executive management responsibilities for integrated logistics services to the metals industry and for marketing and business planning within two large U.S. steelmaking organizations. Mr. Jacob is a graduate of Marietta College in Ohio and has undertaken post-graduate work at Baldwin Wallace College and the Wharton Executive Advanced Management Program.
"Bill Jacob is a skilled executive with an excellent, first-hand understanding of the metals industry," said Harsco president and Metals group CEO Geoffrey D. H. Butler. "As we look to improve the performance of our Harsco Metals business and build ever-stronger relationships with our key customers, Bill's credentials as a proven team-builder with a track record for delivering results should further enhance our momentum."
Harsco Corporation is one of the world's leading diversified industrial services companies, serving key industries that play a fundamental role in worldwide economic growth and development, including infrastructure, metals and railways. The Company employs approximately 22,000 people in 50 countries of operation. Harsco's common stock is a component of the S&P MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 1000 Index. Additional information can be found at www.harsco.com.
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