Aug22136 31. Best Sustainable Metal Manufacturing CEO 2025: Guillaume de Goys Aluminium Dunkerque is one of the largest primary aluminium smelters in Europe, aiming to produce locally sustainable aluminium – a strategic metal that plays a key role in the green transition. The company is helmed by CEO Guillaume de Goys, a seasoned expert boasting an unrivalled knowledge of the aluminium sector. Following Guillame’s recent recognition in the European CEO of the Year Awards 2025, we caught up with him to learn more about his story of success. The last major primary aluminium plant to be established in France, Aluminium Dunkerque specialises in the manufacturing of plates and ingots, in a wide variety of alloys, for high value-added applications. The company serves a diverse client base consisting of rolling and foundry companies in Europe, catering to end markets such as transportation and automotive; packaging, from medicine blisters to coffee capsules; beverage cans, and other diverse industrial applications. Aluminium Dunkerque is overseen by Guillaume de Goys, a CEO aiming to build upon people development, empowered teams, and available expertise to achieve the ambitious goals of today’s industrial world. Guillaume specialises in the industries of manufacturing, metallurgy, carbon, and energy, possessing strong capabilities in project management, as well as the management of large teams and team empowerment endeavours. Guillaume began his career as a project engineer, working on large international projects for Michelin – the world-renowned French multinational tyre manufacturing company. Over the years, he has worked in a number of different roles across Cameroon and France, including managerial roles in Alucam, Rio Tinto, Carbone Savoie, and Alvance Aluminium. Alongside this, he also serves on the board of the French Aluminium Producers Association, as well as the European Aluminium and Eurometaux associations. In 2014, Guillaume stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer at Aluminium Dunkerque and later became its Managing Director. When Aluminium Dunkerque became an independent company with American Industrial Partners – a private equity firm based in New York City – as its shareholder, Guillaume was approached to lead Aluminium Dunkerque as its Chief Executive Officer, as well as to serve as a board member for another company it had invested in – Aluminium Duffel, a Belgium-based aluminium rolling mill located near Antwerp. “I started working with aluminium 20 years ago, and I still do!” he exclaimed. “I strongly believe that the people we meet, the teams we work with, and the mistakes we make help shape us. They help us to become stronger and more skilled. They also help us to develop each other.” For Guillaume, teamwork is the key to success. Whether engaging with new customers, entering new markets, or embarking on new projects, Aluminium Dunkerque is sure to always have the appropriate professionals in charge. Within this meticulously structured ecosystem, Guillaume’s responsibility is to hire the best teams, develop and promote talents, and ultimately craft a compelling vision and shared strategy – then step back and empower them to excel on their own merit. This ethos is deeply embedded within the company’s culture and is something Guillame strives to uphold within everything that he does. “The important thing is to create a corporate culture that is understood and shared by as many people as possible,” Guillaume explained. “In this respect, when I joined Aluminium Dunkerque 11 years ago, I found a factory where commitment, technical skills, and professionalism were at an impressive level – combined with a relative horizontality and little hierarchal distance, inherited from Aluminium Dunkerque’s construction origins. These aspects blend well with the welcoming spirit and warmth typical of the region we are based in.” Location is an integral element of Aluminium Dunkerque’s operations, as the aluminium sector is regularly impacted by geostrategic events. As a primary aluminium, the company is a major energy consumer and the largest in France. Therefore, it was significantly struck by the European energy crisis of 2022 and 2023, to the point of needing to reduce its production by more than 30% during the winter months. More recently, the introduction of 50% tariffs on aluminium and steel entering the US has disrupted the entire industry – even those like Aluminium Dunkerque, who does not export directly to the US. Despite these emerging hurdles, Aluminium Dunkerque has gone from strength to strength in recent years under Guillaume’s expert guidance, undeterred by the various obstacles that have arisen along the journey. Guillaume and his team remain as determined as ever to rise to the occasion, approaching each new adversity with an unwavering sense of flexibility, delegation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, an attitude wholly deserving of Guillaume’s recognition as the Best Sustainable Metal Manufacturing CEO 2025. Contact: Guillaume de Goys Company: Aluminium Dunkerque Web Address: www.aluminiumdunkerque.fr Jun25017
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