International entrepreneur Sanjeev Gupta has scooped a top global metals award in recognition of his relentless drive to transform the steel industry in the UK and beyond.

Mr Gupta, executive chairman of the Liberty House Group received the title ‘CEO of the Year’ at the prestigious S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, attended by senior industry figures from across the world, at London’s Grosvenor Square Marriott last night (19^th May).

He was chosen from a shortlist of ten top metals industry executives, who lead prominent businesses in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. The judges’ citation said they were ‘impressed by his track record of successful acquisitions and his role as a motivator willing to swim against the tide of pessimism prevalent in the industry.’

The high-profile honour follows an intensive 18-month period during which the Liberty leader has invested more than £500m to acquire and turn around metals, energy and engineering operations across the UK, saving more than 5,000 jobs in the process. He has subsequently gone on to pursue major mining and metals assets in the USA and Australia.

Since mid-2015 Liberty has moved from being largely a trading entity to become one of the UK’s largest industrial employers and owner of the country’s last aluminium smelter, its largest steel plate mill and largest scrap melting capacity. It recently completed the acquisition of Tata’s speciality steels business – now Liberty Speciality Steels – which supplies high-value steels to automotive, aerospace, industrial and energy clients worldwide.

In leading Liberty through this transformational phase, Mr Gupta has applied the ground-breaking GREENSTEEL business model designed to secure a competitive, low-carbon future for metal manufacture, through recycling, use of renewable energy and vertical integration with value-added engineering activities.

His success in securing the coveted S&P Global Platts CEO title comes in the Liberty Group’s 25^th anniversary year. From its beginnings as a trading operation, run from student halls of residence at Cambridge University, it has grown into a global metals and industrials enterprise expected to gross around $7 billion this year.

Commenting on the award he said: “This has been an extraordinary period for our group as we pursue our GREENSTEEL vision for a resilient, high-value metals industry. It is hugely encouraging for our work to be recognised in this way by our peers in the industry and it motivates us to pursue this mission even more vigorously. I am proud and humbled to receive this award on behalf of all our 5,000 staff who are the true recipients of this award.”