Press Release

Personnel changes in the Saarland’s steel industry

26 January 2012

The previous Chairman of the Management Board of Saarstahl AG with responsibility for Engineering and Technology, Dr. Klaus Harste (56), has asked the Supervisory Board to release him from his duties at short notice.

It will be proposed to the Supervisory Board that Dr. Karlheinz Blessing (54) be re-appointed as a member of the Management Board and entrusted with the office of successor to the Chairman of the Board. Dr. Blessing has been a member of the Management Board since July 2007 and is responsible for the business sector Saarschmiede. He is also Chairman of the Board of Dillinger Hütte as well as being a member of the Management Board of SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar. He will also continue to carry out these two functions in future.

Dr. Michael Müller, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Saarstahl AG explained: “In the person of Karlheinz Blessing, we are securing continuity and will be able to continue to follow our strategic objective of strengthening the steel industry in the Saarland in unison. The brands Dillinger Hütte and Saarstahl will, of course, be kept on and will each be active independently in their own individual markets.“

Furthermore, it will be proposed to the Supervisory Board that Martin Baues (51) be appointed as a new member of the Management Board for Engineering and Technology. Martin Baues, who has a diploma in engineering, has been working for the company since 1992 and has been responsible for the business sector of new constructions since 2001. In addition, since 2009, he has been Managing Director of the former Einkaufsgesellschaft der Dillinger Hütte und Saarstahl mbH which has held the company name SHS Services GmbH since April 2011.

“We are pleased with the solution that has been found. The agreement signed with VSE also permits options for joint developments at the location in the long term. Any investments, however, depend on the future general conditions relating to energy policies,” says Dr. Johannes Lambertz, Chief Executive Officer of RWE Power.

In an extraordinary meeting on February 10th, the Supervisory Board will make its final decisions with regard to the personnel changes.

Dr. Karlheinz Blessing

Martin Baues