LONDON, March 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Executives and companies from 17 countries have been selected as finalists for the fourth annual Platts Global Metals Awards, which recognize exemplary accomplishments in 15 categories, according to program host Platts, the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets.

Murray Fisher, Platts Global Metals Awards organizer, said: "This year's nominations have been more deeply dispersed across the full slate of performance categories than ever before, reflecting how the Platts Global Metals Awards program has quickly become an industry hallmark. We congratulate the finalists on their accomplishments, especially given the challenging market conditions of the past year."

This year's new category - Financial Metals Services Provider of the Year - attracted as many nomination entries as CEO of the Year, traditionally the most popular category. The Rising Star category continued as a favored nominations category, evidence of the industry's increasing drive for acuity and evolution.

The program's independent panel of judges will select winners from the list of finalists in each individual awards category. The 2016 Metals Company of the Year will be chosen from the entire list of finalist companies.

Winners of the Platts Global Metals Awards will be announced on May 19 at The Marriott Grosvenor Square in London at a black-tie dinner. The Awards will be emceed for a third year by CNBC's Karen Tso, well-known to Australian, Singaporean and European television audiences alike for her coverage of the metals and mining sectors.

Corporate and industry representatives, as well as accredited media, may attend the Awards dinner with advance registration at this link. Television cameras are welcome.

The Platts Global Metals Awards 2016 program sponsors include Primetals Technologies Ltd., Egyptian Steel, BFRS, Esmark Inc. and JSW Steel. For sponsorship opportunities and information, contact Neil Roberts at +44 20 7176 7638.

For event and program updates, follow @PlattsGMA on Twitter and/or "Like" the Platts Global Metals Awards Facebook page.

CONTACT: Americas: Kathleen Tanzy, + 1 917 331 4607, kathleen.tanzy@platts.com

About Platts: Platts is the leading independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodities and energy markets. Customers in over 150 countries look to Platts' expertise in news, pricing and analytics to deliver greater transparency and efficiency to markets and help them make better informed trading and business decisions. Founded in 1909, Platts' coverage includes oil and gas, power, petrochemicals, metals, agriculture and shipping. A division of McGraw Hill Financial, Platts is headquartered in London and employs over 1,000 people in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at http://www.platts.com.

About McGraw Hill Financial: McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI) is a leading financial intelligence company providing the global capital and commodity markets with independent benchmarks, credit ratings, portfolio and enterprise risk solutions, and analytics. The Company's iconic brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ and SNL, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL and J.D. Power. The Company has approximately 20,000 employees in 31 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

SOURCE Platts

SOURCE: Platts