Materials Processing Institute CEO stands down

Chris McDonald has decided to stand down from the CEO role he has held for almost a decade after being selected as the Labour Party’s parliamentary candidate for Stockton North.

The Materials Processing Institute has appointed Jonathon Stormon from Hexagon Consultants as its interim CEO.

This move allows the Institute’s chair and council to prepare the Teesside-based organisation for new leadership as it begins the process to recruit a permanent successor for the CEO role.

Stormon, the interim CEO, is described by the Institute as a leader in interim management services and in delivering transformational business projects.

He has 25 years’ experience of working across multiple sectors, including manufacturing, engineering, and construction, and was Head of Transformation for Liberty Steel Europe between 2019 and 2021.

McDonald will continue to act as a strategic advisor, working with the Institute’s Council on the implementation of strategic partnerships, managing relations with key stakeholders to help ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities.

He previously worked at Corus as a Manufacturing Technical Manager, and at Tata Steel, where he rose to become Strategy and Collaborations Manager, and also saved the Teesside-based Institute from closure in 2014.

He relaunched it as a not-for-profit organisation developing new technologies for the steel and metals sector.

Currently, the Institute is leading a major £6.5mln project to scale up development of what they describe as the world’s first zero-emission cement. It is also involved in the removal of valuable zinc from industrial byproducts, and extracting carbon-free hydrogen from steelmaking sludge, among other initiatives.

Jon Bolton, Chair of the Materials Processing Institute, says, ‘Chris has been a driving force in transforming the Institute into a centre for research and innovation that has attracted international acclaim. His contribution is immeasurable, and I’m delighted that in his new role, we will continue to benefit from his expertise and sector knowledge.

‘I’m pleased to welcome Stormon as interim CEO. Jonathon is an experienced leader who brings new energy to the Institute. I look forward to working with him closely to ensure continuity of leadership as we start the process to recruit a permanent successor.’

McDonald says, ;It has been an immense privilege to have had the opportunity, first to rescue, and then to lead, the Materials Processing Institute over the last decade.

‘…I have huge confidence in the future of the Institute, and I look forward to continuing to work in an advisory capacity and supporting the transition to a new leadership during the coming year.’