Dear friends,
Today, Metinvest celebrates its 20th anniversary.
For a person, twenty is an age when it feels as though life is only beginning – a time of great hopes, bold plans, and confidence in one’s abilities. Yet for a company, twenty years is a journey from an idea to a major business; from the first decisions to an international business; from ambition to achievement.
Over the past two decades, Metinvest has built and developed industrial facilities, embraced new technologies and markets, created jobs, strengthened Ukrainian industry, and represented our country on the global stage.
Today, however, I would like to speak not only about production, performance, and achievements. Because the true strength of Metinvest has always been and remains its people.
Over these twenty years, tens of thousands of people have tied their lives to Metinvest. It is people who have made Metinvest strong. The people who helped build the company from the very beginning. The people who come to work every day, even in the hardest of times. The people who make bold, and sometimes difficult, decisions. The people who take responsibility when circumstances demand courage and resilience. The people who believe in the company, in their work, and in Ukraine. I am grateful to every person who has been, and continues to be, part of our team.
The past few years have been especially difficult for Ukraine and for every Ukrainian. The war has brought immeasurable human tragedy and economic losses to our country. We have lost the industrial heart of our nation – Metinvest’s Mariupol plants, Azovstal and Ilyich Iron and Steel Works. Yet I am proud that Azovstal became a fortress for the defenders of Mariupol.
From the very first days of the war, Metinvest was part of the nation’s Steel Front and continues every day to support people, build shelters for military personnel and healthcare workers, supply armour and protective equipment to the front line, and support veterans. Thousands of Metinvest employees are defending our country in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Metinvest continues to operate when it matters most, transforming the strength of industry into the strength of resistance, and steel into protection for human lives. No loss, no walls, workshops or blast furnaces can ever compare to the value of a human life. We can never repay the debt we owe to those whose lives have been taken by this war, and it is our duty to do everything possible – and impossible – to bring our Victory closer.
I believe that very soon Ukraine will begin building a new and peaceful future, and Metinvest will be among the first to help restore, rebuild and lay the foundations for our country’s future.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this 20-year journey and who continues to be part of it today. I wish you and your families happiness and well-being, and I wish our country a just and lasting peace as soon as possible, together with renewed prosperity.
Happy anniversary, Metinvest!
With deepest respect, Rinat Akhmetov
