V Ashok has been appointed chief financial officer of Liberty Steel Group with responsibility for overseeing global financial reporting.

The appointment follows the company's recent decision to consolidate its steel businesses within the GFG Alliance under one group structure with a presence in more than 10 countries, over 30,000 employees and a rolling capacity of 18Mt/yr.

Mr Ashok will work with finance teams around the world to shape the finance structure, strategy and associated priorities of the Liberty Steel Group.

Ashok brings over two decades of experience in finance, accounts and audit to the role. Prior to joining Liberty he was group chief financial officer at Essar, a global investor in energy, infrastructure, metals and mining, and services

Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of the GFG Alliance, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Ashok as we continue to strengthen our global operations. This is an important appointment as we work to integrate processes and functions within our global steel businesses, and as we embark upon our journey towards the creation of a carbon neutral steel organisation by 2030.”

Mr Ashok said: “Liberty Steel Group is an exciting business with the potential to take a commercial and environmental leadership position in the industry. I’m looking forward to working with Sanjeev Gupta and the rest of the team to make the newly consolidated business a success.”