We are driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for excellence. We reward boldness, value curiosity and see the opportunities in challenges. Never content to stand still, we are on a journey that aims to push the boundaries of possibility in our industry.

We are reducing the carbon footprint of steel, discovering new ways to build buildings, and we’re using advanced technology to improve the efficiency of the steel manufacturing process. We’re already planning for future mobility concepts where the ride that we will call up through a phone-based app will arrive perfectly and safely on time – but with no driver, because the vehicle will drive itself. Believing no-one ever reaches their full potential, we encourage our 158,000+ employees to challenge themselves so they can develop, grow and progress.

Run the video to find out more about our culture

Safety

Wherever we are in the world, safety comes first. Building and maintaining a safety first culture is a daily commitment and one that relies on the full engagement of our leadership and workforce. Rigorous safety procedures, combined with thorough training and a culture of shared vigilance where people are encouraged to speak up are in place across our operations. We have further to go on our journey to zero but there is no more important result in the company than our safety performance.

Our 2018 safety video, 'We choose the safest way', has been watched by more than 230,000 people since its launch in 2018, and won a gold medal at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.

Force for positive change

The clearest example of the culture of our company is the merger that formed it. Described by Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal in 2006 as “…the best fit between any two companies in the industry”, the merger was undoubtedly bold, bringing together the two largest players in the industry to create the world’s leading steel company. That bold spirit still drives ArcelorMittal. Guest of honour at the event to mark the creation of the company, the late Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, commented in simple yet disarming style on the need to “look forward to the future”. His words continue to ring true today.

ArcelorMittal would like to thank the estate of the late Neil Armstrong for their permission to use the Apollo 11 mission official portrait shown below.

 

Since then, the transaction has proved to be much more than the sum of its parts. It has brought together in a common endeavour some of the very best people in the industry, making it possible for us to innovate relentlessly, creating new steels that could barely be imagined in 2006. And, through determined focus on our target of zero accidents, it has helped create a safer working environment for our employees. 

Boldness in business

Boldness is at the core of our culture. So it’s natural that we should want to encourage and lend profile to businesses that demonstrate the attribute that underlines so much of what we do.

ArcelorMittal has supported the annual FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards since 2009. The awards recognised companies and individuals who have challenged the status quo and taken calculated risks to drive their businesses forward in the face of economic uncertainty. 

Past winners have included household names such as Facebook, Apple, Twitter and Amazon – from before they were as dominant as they are today.  Awards have also gone to less well known but necessarily bold niche players such as DeepMind Technologies and Mobileye. And more traditional companies such as Empresas Polar, Handelsbanken and Mara Group. The awards also annually recognise a person of the year; in 2019 the recipient was Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world-wide web. 

Read the 2018 Boldness in Business special report

Innovation embodied

The ArcelorMittal Orbit, designed by artist Sir Anish Kapoor and designer and engineer Cecil Balmond, was conceived as a 114m tall, landmark sculpture at the centre of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The idea of a tall structure as an iconic focus within the Olympic Park was the idea of the then Mayor of London (now UK Prime Minister) Boris Johnson, together with the late Tessa Jowell, who was the UK Government Minister with responsibilities for the London 2012 Games at the time. They both felt that while wonderful buildings – many of them capable of recycling and reuse – had been planned, their largely horizontal designs created an opportunity for a vertical structure that could act as a focus within the Olympic park.

A chance meeting at the Davos World Economic Forum between Boris Johnson and Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, subsequently led to the company agreeing to provide the necessary financial support for the project. A design competition followed, with architects, artists, designers and sculptors from around the world submitting proposals for consideration by a jury of judges headed by Sir Nicolas Serota, Director of the Tate Gallery. The eventual winner was ‘Orbit’, designed by artist Sir Anish Kapoor and designer and engineer Cecil Balmond. Made almost entirely from steel manufactured by ArcelorMittal, 70% of the metal used was sourced from scrap.

Boris Johnson and Lakshmi Mittal recall their chance meeting at the Davos World Economic Forum

Having played its part as a symbol of London 2012, the ArcelorMittal Orbit now stands at the centre of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as a memory of an amazing Olympic Games, and as a symbol of the ongoing regeneration of 520 acres of East London. 

In 2016 the world’s longest tunnel slide was added to the ArcelorMittal Orbit. It was created by German artist Carsten Höller at the invitation of Sir Anish Kapoor. Between the opening of the slide and January 2020, 410,000 people have ridden the slide at the ArcelorMittal Orbit.