Joe Lombard

Joe Lombard is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the design, construction, and operation of aluminium smelters, with 40 years of global experience developing and expanding metallurgical facilities.

Joe joined Hatch as the global managing director of Light Metals, then Metals & Mining, culminating in his appointment as vice-chair in 2024. In this role, he retains his focus on metals and works at an executive level to build and maintain long-term relations with key strategic clients.

Prior to his time at Hatch, Joe served as President and CEO of Aluminérie Alouette, the largest aluminium smelter in the Americas. There, he was responsible for the successful multi-billion-dollar expansion of its facility in Sept-Îles, Québec, which is globally recognized as an industry benchmark in terms of quality, cost, safety, and schedule.

Throughout his career, he has led the development, expansion, and operation of other major metallurgical facilities across Europe, North and South America, Australia, China, South Africa, and the Middle East.

He was also instrumental in expanding Hatch’s reach into new regions (particularly, Europe, China and the Middle East) and consolidating our Metals business into a true global identity. Building on the expanded traditional business of Hatch, he established four major new initiatives to focus the Metals business specifically on green steel, green aluminium, the battery supply chain (from feedstock to gigafactories and recycling facilities), and Europe.

Joe completed his bachelor of engineering in mechanical engineering at the University of Pretoria, receiving a Dorbyl scholarship, and holds a bachelor of commerce (honors) in business economics from the University of South Africa.

Outside of Hatch, he belongs to numerous professional organizations, either sitting on the board or as a general member. These include the Canada-UAE Business Council, the Aluminum Association of Canada (former president), the Engineering Council of South Africa, the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering, the Canada-Saudi Business Council, the Canada Africa Chamber of Business, and First Robotics’ Advisory Board.

Joe speaks fluent English, Afrikaans, Dutch, and German, and has lived and worked in South Africa, Germany, Iceland, and Canada. He is an avid scuba diver and a passionate photographer.