Our Executive Team

Mark Vassella Managing Director & CEO
Mark Vassella
Managing Director & CEO
BCom, MBA

Mark Vassella was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BlueScope Steel in January 2018.

He joined the Company following BlueScope's 2007 acquisition of Smorgon Steel Distribution where he was the Chief Executive.  He was appointed Chief Executive Australian Distribution and Solutions before moving to the US as President, BlueScope Steel North America in 2008.  He returned to Australia in 2011 to take up the role of Chief Executive BlueScope Australia and New Zealand. 

Mark is on the Executive Board of Directors at World Steel Association (worldsteel) and holds the office of Treasurer.  He is a past Board member, President and Treasurer of the Family Life charitable organisation, and is a stalwart supporter of the St Kilda Football Club.

John Nowlan Chief Technical and Development Officer
John Nowlan
Chief Technical and Development Officer
B. Mechanical Engineering (Hons), MBA

After five years as the Chief Executive of Australian Steel Products, John has taken on an Executive Leadership advisory role as the Chief Technical and Development Officer John is working closely with the MD and CEO to ensure the success of the capital development pipeline. He is also responsible for Health, Safety and Environment and Manufacturing Excellence. 

In John’s 47-year career at BlueScope, he has held other Executive positions including General Manager Manufacturing and General Manager New Zealand and Pacific Islands. 

Gretta Stephens Chief Executive Climate Change & Sustainability
Gretta Stephens
Chief Executive Climate Change & Sustainability
BSc, B Engineering

Gretta was appointed Chief Executive Climate Change & Sustainability in January 2022, responsible for researching, developing and implementing BlueScope’s global carbon reduction strategies, and for the Company’s broader sustainability areas of focus.

Previously, Gretta was Chief Executive Climate Change and New Zealand & Pacific Islands, where she led the mining, manufacturing and downstream businesses in New Zealand and the Lysaght manufacturing and distribution businesses in the Pacific Islands.

Gretta joined BlueScope in June 2018 from New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelters, a joint venture between Pacific Aluminium and Sumitomo Chemical Company, where she had been General Manager and Chief Executive since 2013. Previously, she was General Manager of Business Improvement & Technology for Pacific Aluminium’s four aluminium smelters across Australia and New Zealand.

A qualified engineer, Gretta has over 30 years experience in the global aluminium industry, and has worked in aluminium smelting operations in Australia and New Zealand.

Connell Zhang Chief Executive NS BlueScope
Connell Zhang
Chief Executive NS BlueScope
BEc, MBA

Mr Zhang joined BlueScope as Chief Executive NS BlueScope in 2021 to lead the Company’s joint venture operations across ASEAN and North America.

Mr Zhang previously held executive roles at Ecolab Inc, where he led the Company’s divisions and functions in Greater China; and other senior leadership positions across Asia with Linde plc.  He has deep experience both in Asia and in multinational industrial businesses, and has a strong focus on innovation and transformation through strategic partnerships.

Peta Renkin Chief People Officer
Peta Renkin
Chief People Officer
BBus HR & IR

Peta was appointed Chief People Officer and joined the Executive Leadership Team in February 2023 with global responsibility for remuneration and benefits; corporate affairs; strategic marketing; social impact and inclusion; and organisational capability and performance. 

Previously Peta held the position of General Manager BlueScope Building Components within Australian Steel Products for four years, responsible for BlueScope’s Australian downstream product manufacturing and solutions businesses.

Peta has broad experience across human resources and operations and in facilitating change.  Former roles she has held include Vice President People for BlueScope Buildings North America, responsible for the HR leadership of BlueScope Buildings both in North America and China, General Manager People for Australia and New Zealand, and Operations Manager roles within the Australian manufacturing business. Peta joined BlueScope (BHP) in 1994. 

Robin Davies Chief Executive New Zealand & Pacific Islands
Robin Davies
Chief Executive New Zealand & Pacific Islands
B. Mechanical Engineering

Robin was appointed Chief Executive New Zealand & Pacific Islands in January 2022, responsible for leading the mining, manufacturing and downstream businesses in New Zealand and the Lysaght manufacturing and distribution businesses in the Pacific Islands.  

Robin has a depth of international and operational experience, having worked for Tata Steel Europe prior to joining BlueScope in 2008.  He held a number of roles in New Zealand before being appointed President North Star BlueScope Steel in Delta, Ohio, in 2017. 

Returning to New Zealand in 2020, Robin took up the role of General Manager Sales & Marketing New Zealand & Pacific Islands / General Manager Pacific Steel, and in February 2021 was appointed Chief Operating Officer.

Tania Archibald Chief Executive Australian Steel Products
Tania Archibald
Chief Executive Australian Steel Products
BEc, CA

Tania was appointed Chief Executive Australian Steel Products in 2023.  Prior to that, Tania was Chief Financial Officer for five years. Tania leads all major operations in Australia including the Company's key operations at Port Kembla (NSW) and Western Port (VIC). She joined the Executive Leadership Team in 2016 with responsibility for the optimisation of investment returns from BlueScope’s global coated products assets, in addition to her role as Chief Financial Officer, BlueScope ANZ, which she held from May 2015.

Tania has also held the positions of Vice President, Corporate Finance and Strategy, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, and finance leadership roles in Vietnam and Indonesia.

Debra Counsell Chief Legal Officer
Debra Counsell
Chief Legal Officer
BA, LLB

Debra was appointed to the Executive Leadership Team in January 2017 and has Global responsibility for legal affairs, company secretarial, ethics and compliance.  She joined BlueScope in 2014, following an international career extending over 25 years in partner and equivalent roles at leading global law firms in Australia, Vietnam and France. 

Debra specialises in commercial law, major projects, infrastructure and project finance and has worked throughout Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East advising on foreign investments, development and strategic projects (including mergers and acquisitions), corporate law and governance, in a variety of industries including mining, resources, energy and defence.  
 
Previously Debra held the position of General Counsel – Corporate at BlueScope and was responsible for the legal requirements of all strategic and development projects of BlueScope as well as all corporate head office legal requirements. Debra is a member of Chief Executive Women. 

Kristie Keast Chief Executive North America
Kristie Keast
Chief Executive North America
B Applied Science (Safety)

Kristie was appointed Chief Executive North America in February 2023. As Chief Executive, she is responsible for North Star BlueScope Steel, BlueScope Recycling and Materials, BlueScope Coated Products, and BlueScope Buildings North America.

Prior to that, Kristie was the Chief People Officer for four years and responsible for health, safety and environment; remuneration and benefits; corporate affairs; strategic marketing; social impact and inclusion; and organisational capability and performance. In 2021, her portfolio grew with the addition of North American development.

She has held progressively senior roles in both Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In 2014, she took on an expanded role as vice president, Organisational Capability and from 2016 held the role of General Manager, People in our Australian Steel Products business.

As well as extensive experience at an executive level, Kristie’s expertise covers occupational health and safety, change management leadership and global strategic cultural transformation. 

She is a member of Chief Executive Women, the Human Resources Institute of Australia, as well as the Safety Institute of Australia. She also serves as a member of the board of directors for Sports Access Foundation serving children with disabilities.  

Divya Thadani Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer
Divya Thadani
Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer
BA, MBA

Divya joined BlueScope as Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer in September 2022, responsible for working with leadership to set enterprise strategy and lead transformation efforts, and with a particular focus on supporting BlueScope’s North American growth strategy. 

Divya has extensive experience in corporate strategy, business development and general management across the industrial sector and in strategy consulting in the US. Previously she held the dual roles of General Manager PPG Services and Head of Strategy and Business Development for PPG Industries’ US and Canada Architectural Coatings business.  Before joining PPG, Divya worked at J.M. Huber Corporation in a variety of strategy and M&A roles. 

Divya has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and International Relations from The College of Wooster and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She serves on the Board of Trustees at Sewickley Academy and is a Board Advisor at ABARTA, a family-owned Coca-Cola distribution company based in Pittsburgh.  

Mark Scicluna Acting Chief Financial Officer
Mark Scicluna
Acting Chief Financial Officer
Chartered Accountant, BCom, MAppFin

Mark was appointed Acting Chief Financial Officer in February 2023, responsible for finance, M&A, treasury, taxation, investor relations, sustainable supply chain, risk, audit and insurance. Prior to this appointment, Mark held the role of Head of Group Finance overseeing the Group financial control, financial planning and analysis and capital allocation and project governance functions.

Previously, Mark was Vice President, Commercial & Planning, with roles in investor relations, financial planning and analysis, mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy teams.

Before Mark joined BlueScope in 2008, he worked in various corporate finance and strategy roles at National Australia Bank.