AK

Ashok Kumar

Tata Steel (United Kingdom), Tata Steel (Netherlands), SUMAS, CEDEP, Tata Steel (India), IIT Kanpur

ORCID iD 0000-0003-4699-9879
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About

Ashok Kumar

Head of Strategic Technical Development, Tata Steel UK

Short description of the role:

Facilitating knowledge creation and deployment – leading to performance improvement in current steel business and conceptualizing the transition to possible future configurations

Education:

➢ B Tech Metallurgical Engg, 1984, IIT Kanpur, India
➢ General Management Programme, CEDEP- INSEAD, France, 2004
➢ Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), Sustainability Management School, Switzerland, 2023

Experience:

❖ Process and cost analysis in the steel plant: 1985-89
❖ Blast furnace Operations Manager: 1990-98
❖ Chief Ironmaking Technology: Technology and knowledge function 1999-2009
❖ Chief Technology Officer, Process Tata Steel India: : 2009-2018
❖ General Manager, Technology Iron & Steel, Ijmuiden, Tata Steel Europe: 2018-2021
❖ Chief Technical Advisor/ Head of Strategic Technical Development, Tata Steel UK: 2021 -

Board non-executive director at Tata Metaliks Ltd (pig iron and ductile iron pipe business) 2002-2013
Chair for global “Performance Improvement Teams” iron group since Tata Steel-Corus deal in 2007-2021

Part of worldsteel Technology Committee – since 2005; and Chair of TECO 2019-2022 Chaired the worldsteel project on RM quality and resources. This was deep engagement with industry - which also took us to various regions of the world for meetings and exploration - Australia, India, Sweden; and brought home the points about: no dearth of Fe and C units; rather how the impurities need managing for effectiveness of our processes. Also presented at worldsteel 45, Paris, annual conference

Chairman of Indian Institute of Mineral Engineers, Jamshedpur chapter, 2016-18 Chairman of IIM Jamshedpur chapter, , 2017-18

work closely with the industry in India as well as in Europe - taking on board the varied priorities and ways of thinking. Further, the work also took one to associate closely with companies in other regions - such as S Korea, Japan, China, Australia.

Worked with various aspects of iron and steelmaking technology such as - production management, process analysis and diagnosis, benchmarking and managing technological and practice improvement, business scenario planning. Concept development for new steel capacity creation projects given inputs on geography and raw material resource situation - including process route selection. Tracking and evaluation of new technology in ironmaking.

Goal: Ensure steel industry enhances value creation by increasingly leveraging local resources – by getting knowledge and people processes to function well.

Awards
Young Metallurgist of the year, 1989, Ministry of Steel and Mines, Govt of India
Metallurgist of the year, 1999, Ministry of Steel and Mines, GOI
National Metallurgist – Industry, 2013, Ministry of Steel and Mines, GOI
Fellow of Indian Institute of Metals, 2015-, IIM
Fellow IOM3, 2024

Employment

  • Tata Steel (United Kingdom) Head Strategic Technical Development
    2021 - Present
  • Tata Steel (Netherlands) General Manager
    2018 - 2021
  • Tata Steel (India) (various, last) Chief technology Officer, Process
    1984 - 2018

Education

  • SUMAS DBA
    2020 - 2023
  • CEDEP General Management Programme
    2002 - 2004
  • IIT Kanpur B Tech
    1979 - 1984

Projects & Funding

Projects & funding information is unavailable.

Publications (5)