Alcoa announced August 23 that Kevin J. Anton has been named chief sustainability officer, responsible for developing a comprehensive strategy that integrates all of the company’s sustainability efforts.
Anton, who has led the Alcoa Sustainability Steering Committee for the past year, comes to his new role after serving as vice president, Finance and Strategy, for Alcoa Global Primary Products. He will remain a VP of Alcoa and a member of the company’s Executive Council.
“The environmental benefits of aluminum, such as light weighting and recyclability of our ‘miracle metal,’ present tremendous opportunities for the aluminum industry,” said Alcoa chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld. “Alcoa is in a unique position to take a proactive sustainability approach and turn it into a competitive advantage. No one is more qualified than Kevin Anton to ensure that Alcoa capitalizes on those opportunities.”
Anton has worked for more than 30 years in the metals and mining industry and is the immediate past chairman of the U.S. Aluminum Association. In his new role, he will be responsible for developing a sustainability strategy and action plan that coordinates the efforts of government affairs, environment, health and safety and Alcoa Technical Center, as well as Alcoa’s marketing, communications and philanthropic efforts.
“Our vision is to make sustainability a prime driver of our business and a compelling part of the Alcoa brand,” Kleinfeld said.
Anton joined Alcoa in 1998 as VP of Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals. He then became VP, Finance for Alcoa’s Primary Products organization. In 2001, he became president of Alcoa Materials Management, which involves purchasing and the physical and financial trading activities of primary and scrap aluminum, electricity trading, and transportation purchasing for the Primary Products business. In 2006, he was elected a VP of Alcoa, and a year later became chief financial officer for Global Primary Products, while still maintaining responsibility for Alcoa Materials Management. As CFO, Anton was responsible for financial activities and strategy for Alcoa’s nine alumina refineries, bauxite assets in Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Suriname and Guinea, and the company’s worldwide smelting system.
Before joining Alcoa, Anton held senior management positions at Alumax, serving as VP and controller for its primary aluminum group and director of business planning. Alcoa acquired Alumax in 1998.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for eight consecutive years and approximately 75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 59,000 people in 31 countries across the world.
