Abdulla Kalban, managing director and chief executive officer of Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has been elected as chairman of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) for the next two years.

A UAE national, Kalban is the first Arab to hold this prestigious portfolio.

The appointment signals both the growing importance of the Middle East as an aluminium industry hub and the wealth of industry expertise in the region, said a statement.

Having joined the aluminium industry in 1985, Kalban has 29 years’ experience in the sector and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role.

He began his career as a special entry graduate at Dubai Aluminium (Dubal) and rose rapidly through the ranks to become the chief executive officer of Dubal in 2005, then president and chief executive officer in 2008. He played an instrumental role in the establishment of Emirates Aluminium (Emal) and EGA – the latter being the new aluminium conglomerate formed by Mubadala Development Company of Abu Dhabi and Investment Corporation of Dubai through the combination of their aluminium industry interests. He was appointed to his current role at the helm of EGA upon the company’s official incorporation in 2014. He currently manages assets valued at more than $15 billion.  

Additionally, Kalban is the chairman of the Gulf Aluminium Council (GAC), a director of the Federal Electricity & Water Authority (FEWA), and member of the board of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). He is active on various committees such as The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) and the Dubai Executive Council Committee for Infrastructure & Environment; as well as the Supreme Council of Energy in the UAE.

Founded in 1972, the key objectives of the IAI are to increase the market for aluminium by enhancing world-wide awareness of its unique and valuable qualities; provide a global forum for aluminium producers on matters of common concern and liaising with regional and national aluminium associations to achieve efficient and cost effective co-operation. - TradeArabia News Service