Alcoa announce re alignment of its Global Primary Products

Alcoa announced re alignment of its Global Primary Products business organization that will sustain and accelerate the many improvements the operations have made and seize growth opportunities as the economy recovers. 1. Effective immediately, Mr John Thuestad has been named to the new position of CEO for GPP Worldwide, reporting to Bernt Reitan, Alcoa Executive VP and President GPP. Mr Thuestad was formerly President of GPP US. 2. Mr Jean Pierre Gilardeau has been appointed to the new post of President, GPP North America and Iceland. He had been president of GPP Canada and Iceland. He will report to Mr John Thuestad and will be responsible for overseeing Primary operations in the US, Canada and Iceland. Mr Bob Wilt VP of Operational Excellence in US Primary will replace Mr Thuestad as president of GPP US. Mr Pierre Morin VP Operations of GPP Canada will become president of GPP Canada. Mr Bernt Reitan said that “These changes strengthen our Primary business on a both a global and regional basis puts proven leaders in our key US and Canadian markets and further aligns our organization for continued success.” Biographical information 1. Mr John Thuestad: Mr John Thuestad joined Alcoa in 2008 as president of Global Primary Products US with responsibility for Alcoa aluminum smelters in the US and the alumina refinery at Pt Comfort in Texas. Before coming to Alcoa, Mr John was president and CEO of Elkem AS of Norway a metals and materials company, since 2005. Alcoa’s 45 year presence in Norway was established through a partnership with Elkem. Between 2000 and 2005 he was senior VP of Aluminium Division and MD of 50% Alcoa owned Elkem Aluminium ANS. Mr John also held the CEO and president positions at Norzink a zinc and aluminum fluoride producer owned 50/50 by Rio Tinto and Boliden. He was the MD of Hydro Aluminium Fundo Wheels a producer of low pressure aluminum wheels for high end automakers such as BMW, Audi and Volvo. Mr John has held various production, marketing and project management positions at the Bremanger and Salten silicon plants, Sulitjelma copper smelter and Elkem Engineering Division in Norway. From 1988 to 1992 he was sales/marketing manager with Elkem Metals USA based in Pittsburgh. Mr John graduated from the Norwegian Technical University in 1983. He obtained an MBA degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh in 1990. 2. Mr Jean Pierre Gilardeau: Mr Jean Pierre Gilardeau became president of Alcoa Global Primary Products for Canada and Iceland in 2007. He had been president of Alcoa’s Primary Metals facilities in Canada, which include Baie Comeau, ABI, Bécancour Rod Plant and Aluminerie de Deschambault. With the addition of Iceland, Mr Jean Pierre has accountability for Alcoa’s first new primary smelter in 20 years, the Fjardaal smelter in Iceland and is overseeing the feasibility study to establish a second smelter in Bakki, North Iceland. Mr Jean Pierre joined Alcoa in 1998 as works manager of Eastalco Works in the US in 2000. He was named president of Alcoa’s Northeast Smelting Region with responsibility for the company’s Canadian and New York State aluminum smelters based in Quebec. Prior to joining Alcoa, Mr Jean-Pierre was GM of the Alumax owned Aluminerie Lauralco smelter in Quebec, a position he held for 8 years. Earlier in his career, Mr Jean Pierre served in various management positions at Graybec Inc a major lime and quarry operation in Joliette, Quebec and was an engineer for the chemical division of Domtar Inc.