Mauro Longobardo

Mauro Longobardo
Born	Italy, Gallarate
Education	Politecnico di Milano/MIT
Occupation	CEO
Organization	ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih

Mauro Longobardo is the Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.

Longobardo is also Vice-Chairman of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products in Saudi Arabia, Vice-President of the European Business Association in Ukraine, and Member of the Supervisory Board at RMHC's Ukraine.

Early life and education

Mauro Longobardo was born in the Lombardian town of Gallarate.He graduated of the Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy, majoring in Materials Engineering He obtained a degree from MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston. Longobardo received further executive education at IAE, the Management and Business School of the Austral University (Argentina).

Career

From 2002 to 2006, Mauro Longobardo worked for Tenaris Dalmine (Italy) in quality and product development. He then moved to Argentina, overseeing different manufacturing sites at the Tenaris Siderca plant, located near Buenos Aires.

In 2010, he moved to Dubai to become worldwide coordination director for Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG). He also worked as commercial director and regional manager in Iraq, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. From 2013 to 2015, Longobardo joined PJSC Chelpipe as Deputy CEO. After 2015, he joined Interpipe Group, becoming the chief operating officer in Ukraine.

Longobardo joined the ArcelorMittal Group in February 2018 as CEO of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Jubail, a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)), specializing in seamless pipes and tubular products for the oil and gas sector. In this role, he oversaw operational management, strategic planning, and technological upgrades, drawing on his extensive experience in heavy industry and pipe manufacturing. He held this position up to July 31, 2021 and was then appointed Member of the Board and Vice-Chairman.

Since November 2020, Longobardo has served as a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Business Association in Ukraine. In 2021, he became Vice President of the association. Нe is expected to hold this position until 2027. In 2025, Longobardo was put on the 7th place of Forbes Ukraine’s ranking of Best 25 CEOs of Ukraine.

For two consecutive years, Longobardo was included by the independent business media outlet Delo.ua in its list of the 50 most experienced CEOs in Ukraine.

Role at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih

Since February 18, 2020, to the current moment he has been the CEO of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih plant, which is part of ArcelorMittal international corporation. In 2021, the last year before Russia's invasion in February 2022, the steelmaker's peak output totalled 4.9 million tons.

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih was shut down for security reasons in February 2022, at the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but resumed production at 20-25 % in fall 2022.

Despite these disruptions, AMKR ramped up output in 2024, restarting blast furnaces and increasing raw steel production by nearly 70% to 1.65 million metric tons. Capacity utilization temporarily reached 50%, aided by improved maritime logistics and the commissioning of a second blast furnace. Longobardo identified these efforts as crucial for competitiveness, particularly through optimizations that mitigated high energy costs, which had become a significant portion of production expenses.

Under Longobardo’s leadership, AMKR prioritized operational continuity during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine starting in February 2022. The company relied on diesel generators and rotating power supplies to manage frequent outages caused by attacks.

Between 2022 and 2026, the plant operated under severe conditions that included rising electricity costs, disruptions to power supply caused by Russian missile and drone attacks, a reduction in personnel exceeding 6,000 due to mobilization and departures, increased tariffs of the state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia, and growing imports of steel products from Turkey and China.

The global steel market’s volatility—marked by protectionist barriers and intense import competition—further eroded margins, with AMKR operating at a loss for a fourth consecutive year as of August 2023.

The company shifted its focus from expansion to survival, yet continued to play a vital role in Kryvyi Rih’s economy as a major taxpayer, even as it struggled to break even in 2024. In 2025, the company increased its tax and fee payments to UAH 8.5 billion, representing a 28% increase compared to 2024). The company’s humanitarian and social assistance amounted to UAH 767 million from the start of the full-scale invasion.

Prior to 2026, the plant employed more than 18,000 people. Only in 2026, due to CBAM-related export restrictions and high electricity prices, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih initiated layoffs to maintain operations.

Longobardo has consistently advocated for systemic reforms to address structural cost pressures, including state-controlled tariffs for electricity, water, and logistics. He argues that unrestrained increases threaten long-term viability, risking mass job losses and reduced economic contributions. He has championed investments in domestic nuclear power and gas production to lower energy costs, framing these as prerequisites for attracting foreign capital and enabling green transitions, such as potential $1 billion direct reduced iron (DRI) facilities. His proposals aim to safeguard Ukraine’s full-cycle steel capabilities, which he views as fundamental for economic stability during and after the conflict.

In January 2025, Longobardo reiterated the need for cost-effective energy and reduced regulatory burdens, emphasizing that competitiveness will remain a challenge even after the war due to high electricity prices and low-cost import competition.

In 2026, Mauro Longobardo has made numerous public statements regarding the potential negative consequences of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for Ukraine in the absence of exemptions. In 2025, the plant exported approximately 920,000 tonnes of products to the European Union, representing about one-third of its capacity. In 2026, the company was unable to export the planned 1.25 million tonnes of steel products.

In addition, high energy costs and carbon-related policies contributed to decisions to cease operations at certain facilities, including the blooming mill and the Casting and Mechanical Plant (LMZ). Mauro Longobardo has also expressed concerns regarding the competitiveness of Ukrainian industry, the level of state support, and the risks of deindustrialization and loss of industrial and economic capacity.

Looking ahead, he outlined a post-war strategy to resume pre-conflict capital expenditures of $500 million annually, restore production capacity beyond 6 million tons, and implement a 15% salary increase for employees from May 2025 to retain talent and stabilize the workforce. He links these ambitions to Ukraine’s EU integration, asserting that coordinated industrial policy is essential for sustainable growth and investor confidence. Since 2022, parent-company support exceeding $1 billion has underscored commitment to sustaining operations.

As Vice President of the European Business Association (EBA) in Ukraine, Longobardo lobbies for policy reforms supporting industrial sustainability, such as tax stability and anti-corruption measures. He has promoted long-term investment at events like the December 2025 Kyiv celebration of ArcelorMittal’s 20 years in Ukraine, highlighting the synergy between international capital and local production. His advocacy has included rejecting production suspensions during the 2020 market downturn, arguing that government support was essential to prevent collapse and preserve over 20,000 jobs.

Throughout the Russian invasion, Longobardo has pushed for measures to strengthen Ukraine’s steel industry resilience. His recommendations include diversifying coking coal sources, improving operational efficiency, securing predictable energy tariffs, enabling electricity imports, streamlining logistics, and introducing investment incentives. He asserts that survival during wartime must take precedence over long-term development, advocating for cash flow management and export diversification to ensure immediate viability. Longobardo also supports transitional trade measures tied to Ukraine’s European integration, such as continued EU safeguard exemptions and a phased approach to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which he deems essential for maintaining Ukraine’s steel exports during the conflict.

Philanthropy

Mauro Longobardo has provided patronage and financial support to the BC Kryvbas basketball club based in Kryvyi Rih. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih served as the team’s anchor sponsor. In the 2023–24 season, the team reached the playoffs of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague and was considered a contender for the semifinals.