Eramet was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Yves Rambaud, at the age of 92, who served as Chairman and CEO of the Group from 1991 to 2003. An emblematic figure in Eramet’s history, Yves Rambaud devoted more than thirty years of his career to the Group and played a decisive role in its transformation and growth.
A graduate of École Polytechnique and an engineer of the Corps des Mines, he joined Penarroya in 1967, one of the companies from which today’s Eramet originated. After playing a major role in shaping the company in the 1980s, he was appointed Chairman and CEO of Eramet in 1991.
Under his leadership, the Group consolidated its position in nickel, notably through Société Le Nickel (SLN) in New Caledonia, while pursuing a strategy to diversify its mining and metallurgical activities, particularly into manganese, high-speed steels and specialty steels.
During a pivotal period in the Group’s history, Yves Rambaud worked tirelessly to safeguard its collective interests and support Eramet’s development. He oversaw Eramet’s stock market listing in 1994, steered the Group through developments relating to New Caledonia in the late 1990s, and subsequently oversaw Eramet’s privatization in 1999. When he stepped down as Chairman and CEO in March 2003, he left behind a Group that had been profoundly transformed, strengthened in its historical businesses, more diversified and more international. He was then appointed Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the Group’s growth, a position he held until 2017.
