Not another crisis, but a potential threat to employees and therefore business, the possibility of a H1N1 outbreak at ArcelorMittal sites has been the subject of a complex and comprehensive Group-wide prevention plan. So how does a global company prepare for H1N1?

While many colleagues were on holiday, particularly in the northern hemisphere, a working group was set up to prepare for their return and the possibility of confirmed cases of H1N1. For our colleagues in the southern hemisphere, however, where the onset of the virus occurred earlier, the need was more urgent. The purpose of ArcelorMittal’s prevention plan was synchronisation and consistency on a global level.

With the evolution of the virus unknown, actions were prepared to assure business continuity and inform employees on preventative measures. All sites were given a checklist of no less than 120 points in order to assess their material needs, readiness and problem areas. Business Continuity Plans provided for the potential shutdown of sites and transfer of production. All of this, through weekly conference calls and updates with health specialists from the 4 corners of the world.

Although none of our sites have faced closure or massive outbreak, colleagues are asked to remain vigilant to avoid the potential health and economic repercussions on our Group.

This message comes from our colleague, Rafael Mendoza in Mexico. Sustainability, Quality, Leadership, boldness and… orange: the essential ArcelorMittal ingredients for an encouraging Christmas wish!

Dear Friends,

Winter by nature itself is considered since the beginning of humanity as a time of cold, crisis, survival and uncertainty.

When it was discovered that the cold came with the arrival of snow and through the warmth of the sun and spring, the snow transformed into water, creating rivers of life and movement, making everything reborn… then Christmas was invented to celebrate the miracle of life.

This year I wish:

• That your effort exceeds the crisis, strengthening our Leadership,
• That your friendship and love resist the cold, improving our Quality of life,
• That your hope and happiness illuminate any uncertainty, achieving Sustainability.

Today, more than ever, let love, hope and union reign in your hearts; love transforms everything and we transform tomorrow.

Thanks to our boldness, we know that 2009 will be a more secure year for our ArcelorMittal family.

So scream out to everyone: “Merry Orange Christmas!”

Dr. Rafael Mendoza Lara
December 2008
Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico

I am still a kind of rookie at ArcelorMittal. I started to work in Skopje’s legal department in March this year. It didn’t take me long to realise that I wasn’t working for just any company. I realised quickly that this was a company with a different mentality and a strong will not to be big, but to be good. This is the sort of thinking that I like and I think that I have been adapting well to this new environment.

During this short time I have had the chance to learn many new skills, meet people from many different countries, with very different cultural backgrounds and to be in places I had never been before. Working for ArcelorMittal has allowed me to grow in ways I did not expect and this is what I like most about working here.

I believe that working for a company like ArcelorMittal gives me things I wouldn’t have anywhere else and I want to enjoy this as much as possible.

Author: Vesna Pavlovska, Legal Council, ArcelorMittal Skopje, Macedonia

15 ArcelorMittal shareholders arrived at the snazzy lounge set-up at Luxembourg headquarters as Lakshmi Mittal, our Chairman and CEO, hosted ArcelorMittal’s 2008 Individual Shareholder meeting.  Another 60 existing and potential shareholders joined the event via Second Life – a virtual meeting centre which enables you to create your own character by choosing your physical features and your virtual name.

Another great advantage for shareholders was the possibility to consult the Company’s different publications (Activity Report, Fact Book, Sustainability Report, etc.) in one direct click from the meeting centre.

After a brief presentation by Julien Onillon, VP Investor Relations, outlining the Group’s growth targets and ambitions, shareholders were invited to put their questions to Mr Mittal via instant message. My favourite one? How do you make steel?!

Collaboration: Julie Buchler, Internal Communications

It all began in September 2007 when Edmilson’s bone marrow was identified as a potential match for a sick patient. A marathon of tests began until D-Day on May 21, the day of Edmilson’s donor procedure. The recipient was treated with Edmilson’s healthy bone marrow just the following day. 3 days later, the patient was performing his daily activities as normal!

Edmilson is one of 4 colleagues working in Stainless in Brazil who have donated to the International Bone Marrow Donor Registration Campaign. With a 1 in 100,000 chance of compatibility, the campaign relies on the goodwill of people like Edmilson and his colleagues: Baltazar Cardoso dos Reis, Edmilson Miranda Carlos and Poliana Dias Cabral giving a heartfelt gesture towards the gift of life.

Collaboration: Guilherme Pimenta Resende, Communications, ArcelorMittal’s Inox business in Brazil

On May 13, Mr Mittal, our new Chairman and CEO, raised a toast to Mr Joseph Kinsch as he stepped down as Chairman of ArcelorMittal, after a career spanning no less than 47 years. Marking the celebration, a video encapsulating his career, with personal anecdotes from his closest collaborators, was played at the reception – moving even the steeliest of hearts!

This time it was a balmy evening at Luxembourg headquarters. Over 120 guests were able to enjoy the terrace as Mr Kinsch mingled among ministers, ambassadors, company directors, family and friends from his 47 illustrious years in the steel industry.

Mr Mittal thanked a talented man – a man with a steely determination and, in the eyes of many, the “consolidator of the European steel industry”.

“I know that I am speaking on behalf of all of my colleagues on the Board of Directors and all the employees of ArcelorMittal when I say that we will miss his Leadership and collaboration. The best way that we can respect the work he has done is by making sure that we build upon his sound foundations to ensure our Group’s continued success,” Mr Mittal said.

It may have been a party to mark his retirement, but: “I have every intention of making myself useful in the future,” said Mr Kinsch. And indeed, there is much to look forward to, as he takes his place as Chairman of the ArcelorMittal Foundation.

How do you sum up 47 incredible years in the steel industry? Take a look at the tribute video played to Mr Kinsch

Twice a year, we invite our analysts and investors to come and take a look at ArcelorMittal ‘from the inside’… And that’s what they did on April 2 and 3, during the first Investor Days of 2008.  But time is tight for our analysts who get little respite from their 12 hour shifts at the office…

So a whirlwind 48 hours begin: day 1 kicks off with presentations from our GMB members. At 8:30am, 100 plus guests take to their seats as Mr Mittal opens the session. Grilling questions pursue, but our GMB members are old hands when it comes to interrogation and take it all in their stride.

There’s time for a buffet lunch before the IR team and analysts jump on a coach to John F. Kennedy airport; final destination: Toronto!

It’s another early start on day 2 as we board a bus to ArcelorMittal Hamilton, Dofasco Facility at 7:30am. Riding past the Great Lakes, we get a moment to take in the calmness, and cleanliness, of Canada. Then the site’s team takes the lead and the crowd is wowed by the sheer size of the facility; from KOMB and #1 Caster to Hot Mill to DSG to Central Shipping. It’s clear that this is world class steel in the making. Back on the bus, I chat to Dana Guido, analyst at Lehman Brothers; “You guys organise the best trips!” she tells me. I’m exhausted!