LONDON, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hydro, a fully integrated aluminum company operating in 40 countries and with more than 100 years of experience in renewable energy, walked away with a triple win at the S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, scoring Metals Company of the Year, Aluminum Industry Leadership, and Breakthrough Solution of the Year awards. The program, in its eighth year, recognizes exemplary performance in 15 categories across the metals and mining complexes.

Honorees from three continents and nine countries were heralded at the first-ever virtual celebration of the Global Metals Awards event, as its host, governments, businesses and industries adjusted to a new normal brought on by the need to contain the spread of COVID-19. Winners were selected from 96 finalists that represented 23 countries, marking a truly around-the-globe celebration.  Watch the showcase event here.

In its selection of Hydro for top honors in three categories, the Global Metals Awards' independent judging panel lauded the company and its management for a number of accomplishments, including its sustainability strategy and performance record, as well as its strong and swift rebound from a significant cyber-attack in early 2019. Judges were impressed that Hydro maintained transparency regarding the attack and its response, as well as its ability to rebuild systems from backups, all of which minimized losses and helped foster employee safety.

"We congratulate Hydro on this impressive triple-crown performance, as well as the accomplishments of each of this year's winners and finalists. Their steadfast contributions to the health of the metals industry are especially noteworthy during this period of market change," said Martin Fraenkel, president of S&P Global Platts.

CEO of the Year, a much coveted and hotly contested award, went to Barbara R. Smith of US-based Commercial Metals Company (CMC), a metals recycler, manufacturer and fabricator. Judges lauded Ms. Smith's leadership acumen. Under her helmsmanship, CMC divested low-margin, higher-risk assets and embraced micro-mill steelmaking technology – with source of scrap and customers all local to the mill – and the ability to ramp-to-capacity its second micro mill. The company also closed a transformative acquisition of Gerdau's North American rebar assets late in 2018, making CMC the largest rebar producer and fabricator in the US.

Rannveig Rist of Rio Tinto Iceland (ISAL), received this year's Lifetime Achievement Award, with judges praising her leadership as general manager of a company playing such a significant role in Iceland's economic development. In particular, judges pointed to ISAL's harvesting of renewable power sources and exporting that energy in the form of aluminium. Ms. Rist was the first woman to manage a large corporation in Iceland, with judges pointing to her success with employee loyalty and engagement.

For full details of the 2020 winners and the judges' rationale, visit S&P Global Platts' Insight Magazine and watch the showcase on demand at https://gma.platts.com/.

Following are the 2020 S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards winners:

Metals Company of the Year
Hydro

CEO of the Year
Barbara R. Smith, Commercial Metals Company

Lifetime Achievement Award
Rannveig Rist, Rio Tinto Iceland

Deal of the Year
ArcelorMittal & Nippon Steel, Joint venture

Corporate Social Responsibility Award
JSW Steel

Aluminium Industry Leadership Award
Hydro

Precious Metals Industry Leadership Award
Digix Global

Raw Materials & Mining Industry Leadership Award
Roy Hill

Scrap & Recycling Industry Leadership Award
ICD Alloys & Metals

Steel Industry Leadership Award
POSCO

Financial Metals Service Provider of the Year
BMO Harris Bank N.A.

Physical Metals Service Provider of the Year
Leeco Steel

Rising Star Company Award
Open Mineral

Rising Star Individual Award
Jay Hambro, GFG Alliance

Breakthrough Solution of the Year
Hydro

For additional information, see S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards website (https://gma.platts.com/)

For information on sponsors and other supporters of the 2020 S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards visit https://gma.platts.com/AboutSponsor.

Nominations for next year's S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards will be accepted starting November 2020.

Watch for more information about the S&P Global Platts sister awards program, the 22^nd annual S&P Global Platts Global Energy Awards, expected this December.  

About S&P Global Platts
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Media Contacts:
Americas: Kathleen Tanzy +1 917-331-4607, Kathleen.tanzy@spglobal.com  

SOURCE S&P Global Platts