AISI names interim CEO

AISI

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Washington, has announced that its board of directors has elected Kevin Dempsey as interim president and CEO to succeed Thomas J. Gibson, who had announced his retirement in March. 

Dempsey, who has served as AISI’s senior vice president for public policy and general counsel since 2009, will assume the role immediately. Gibson will serve as an advisor to AISI during the transition. According to a news release from AISI, the board also recommended that AISI suspend the search process for a president that is being conducted by Korn Ferry, a management consulting business based in Los Angeles.

“It is critical for AISI to have strong expertise and continuity at this time. Not only is the steel industry confronted with the COVID-19 crisis, but we continue to face challenges from market distorting policies and practices that have fueled the massive and growing global excess capacity in steel, from China and elsewhere,” says John Brett, chairman of AISI and president and CEO of ArcelorMittal USA. “Kevin Dempsey has been at the forefront of the industry’s advocacy on this for many years, and the member companies of AISI agree that he is the leader that AISI needs at this crucial time.”

Before joining AISI, Dempsey was a partner at Dewey & LeBoeuf, a global law firm, and its predecessor Dewey Ballantine LLP. While in private practice, Dempsey litigated numerous international trade cases on behalf of U.S. steel producers and other U.S. industries before the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. courts. Prior to joining Dewey Ballantine in 1995, Dempsey served as counsel to Sen. John C. Danforth (R-MO) and the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. 

“I am honored that the AISI board has entrusted me with this position and am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the steel industry with the same passion and robust advocacy for which AISI is known. Tom Gibson’s leadership has been a tremendous asset to the industry, and I appreciate his support in ensuring a seamless transition for the North American steel industry’s voice in Washington,” Dempsey says.

According to AISI, Gibson was president and CEO of the association for 12 years. During Gibson’s tenure as president and CEO, AISI says there has been the enactment of legislation to strengthen trade laws for the first time in a generation, the successful passage of transportation and infrastructure bills to benefit the steel industry and a balanced approach to energy and environmental regulations that do not diminish manufacturing competitiveness and capitalize on the natural gas renaissance in the U.S.

“It has been an honor every day to represent the dedicated companies that produce steel in the United States and North America, and to work for steel industry concerns in Washington and beyond,” Gibson says. “These are critical times, and this is a critical role. I am confident that the selection of Kevin’s Dempsey as interim president and CEO will ensure AISI continues its strong, successful and robust advocacy on behalf of the steel industry, our workers and our partners.”