On Thursday, January 28, the GCO Board of Directors approved the appointment of Benoît Robitaille as CEO of GCO.
For personal reasons, Michel Privé decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer of GCO and return to Canada. He will step down on January 31, 2021.
The appointment of Benoît Robitaille as Chief Executive Officer, effective on February 1, 2021, was proposed and accepted by the GCO Board of Directors.
Eramet’s management team sincerely thanks Michel for his dedication to GCO and the Group. Since his arrival, thanks to his leadership and personal values, Michel managed to deliver excellent operational, financial, and safety results with the teams at GCO, while strengthening social ties. He also led GCO through a very difficult health crisis, while maintaining a safe and constructive environment for the site and its teams.
Benoît joined GCO on July 15, 2018 as Chief Technical Officer, and was later appointed Deputy CEO on September 1, 2019, which led him to step in for Michel on several occasions.
For two years, he has been deeply involved in GCO’s operations, and has worked closely with the CEO and COO to develop the CTO role, which has become essential to improving operational and technical performance and project management.
He will now focus on continuing the company’s growth with his teams, while working with stakeholders to ensure this growth is beneficial for everyone.
Benoît holds a Master’s degree in Applied Science and a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Before joining GCO and Eramet, he worked for nearly 20 years for Rio Tinto Fer et Titane. He has held numerous responsibilities on various sites as Mine Manager, Project Director, Operations Manager, and Engineering Director, among others. This work has afforded him excellent technical expertise, substantial project management skills, and extensive managerial experience.
