thyssenkrupp Materials Services Appoints Dr. Heather Wijdekop as CEO of Business Unit Processing

thyssenkrupp Materials Services is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Heather Wijdekop as the new CEO of the Business Unit Processing, effective July 1st, 2025. In addition, Dr. Wijdekop will head the Operating Unit Processing North America as CEO. In both roles, she will succeed Norbert Goertz, who will remain interim CFO of the Business Unit Solutions and lead the Corporate Functions for the thyssenkrupp Materials North America headquarters in Southfield, Michigan.

Ilse Henne, CEO of thyssenkrupp Materials Services, comments: “We look forward to welcoming Dr. Heather Wijdekop to our Executive Leadership Team. Her extensive business experience, strong customer focus and intercultural leadership skills will help us to consistently implement our materials as a service strategy and further exploit our growth opportunities. At the same time, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Norbert Goertz for his leadership and continuing commitment. With his focus on the functions as CFO of the Business Unit Solutions and Head of the Corporate Functions in our North America headquarters, he will continue to play a key role in achieving our growth targets together with Dr. Wijdekop and the entire leadership team.”

Dr. Wijdekop has gained more than 20 years of professional experience during her successful international career and built-up extensive experience in the mill and processing environment. She led various international roles with Tata Steel Europe and the Corus Group which was acquired by Tata Steel Europe in 2007. Most recently she served as Director Commercial at Tata Steel Ijmuiden Business Unit of Tata Steel Nederland, where she was responsible for sales, marketing and customer services as well as company-wide pricing, business planning, supply chain and market strategy. In this role, she contributed significantly to revenue growth and the enhancement of the product and service portfolio. She holds an Engineering Doctorate in Materials Engineering.

Strategic Importance of North America

North America is a key growth region for thyssenkrupp Materials Services due to its significant market potential and strategic advantages. The region offers a robust industrial base, a strong demand for advanced materials, services and processing solutions, and a favorable business environment. Over the last five years, 70 per cent of thyssenkrupp Materials Services’ total growth investments have been made in North America. In the last year, the company opened major new sites in Mexico and Texas and invested in new processing capabilities which allowed to create even deeper customer relationships.

The Business Unit Processing of thyssenkrupp Materials Services is represented in both Europe and North America and specializes in the customized processing of flat-rolled metals to meet specific requirements. These include slitting and blanking of coils to customers specifications as well as the entire supply chain management function along the value chain between mills and the individual customer production requirements. An important customer segment of the business unit is the automotive industry, which places high demands on quality and service.