14th Annual Mexican Steel Conference

Howard Booth is a Managing Consultant within the Hatch Beddows Strategy Practice and is based in Pittsburgh. Howard has over fifteen years of steel industry experience with much of his work focusing on strategy development and marketing.

His work has focused on supporting integrated and minimill steel producers of long products in evaluating and implementing strategic growth opportunities. Howard has worked with both global and North American steel manufacturers on issues of capital investment plans, mergers, acquisition and divestiture planning, business restructuring, marketing and competitive strategy.

Howard joined Hatch Beddows in 1989. He graduated from Duquesne University with a Masters in Business.

Full name: E. Javier Escartin G.

Age: 52

Bachelor degree: Ingeniero Quimico Industrial

Graduated in 1982 from: Escuela Superior de Ingenieria Quimica e Industrias Extractivas

University: Instituto Politecnico Nacional

Residence: Mexico City

Jobs:

1982 – 1983

Quality Control Supervisor, Productora Mexicana de Tuberia

1984 – 1985

Export Sales Assistant, Altos Hornos de Mexico

1985 – 1990

Sales Export Manager, Sidermex International

1990 – 1991

Sales Export Manager, Sibalsa (Sicartsa’s 2nd stage)

1991 – 1992

Sales Export Manager, Ispat Mexicana

1996 – 2003

Steel Trader, Stemcor de Mexico

2003 – 2009

Sales Regional Director, Stemcor de Mexico

National Material of Mexico (NMM) is a Steel Service Center with processing facilities in Hermosillo, Sonora, and Monterrey, Nuevo Leon as well as processing facilities through JV’s in Queretaro, Puebla, and San Luis Potosi.

Carl Grobien has twenty years of experience in the Mexican Steel Industry, sixteen of those in commercial and marketing positions at mill level facilities and the last four years in positions in the Service Center Industry, before joining NMM in 2008.

Carl Grobien graduated from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Monterrey Tec) with a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering. He earned an MBA degree from the same Institute before earning an MBA degree in Duke University, Raleigh-Durham in 2003.

Luis Landois is Sales Director of Altos Hornos de Mexico an integrated steel mill located in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico, with an annual capacity of 3 million metric tons of finish products. Landois joined Altos Hornos de Mexico in 1996 as Sales Sub manager for the Northern Region, since then he has moved through various positions including Sales Manager for Capital Goods sector and Distribution Sales Sub director.

Luis Landois is member of the Board of Directors of the National chamber of the steel industry in Mexico and has been a speaker in several steel forums as the National confederation of steel distributors in Mexico, Association of steel distributors of Jalisco, Association of steel distributors of Monterrey, and the American Institute of International Steel.

Born in Nueva Rosita, Coahuila Mexico, graduated from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Monterrey Tec) with a Bachelor degree in Business Administration. He earned an MBA degree with elective emphasis in marketing from National University in San Diego, California.

WORKING EXPERIENCE:

08/06-present Director of Economic and Development Department, Graduate School of Public Administration and Public Policy, Tec de Monterrey, Mexico

01/02-04/06 Commissioner in the Federal Telecommunications Commission (Mexico).

Member of the Board and Chief Executive Officer General Area of Planning and Economic Analysis

12/93-01/02 Assistant Director of Analysis, Vector Casa de Bolsa and Chief Economist of Grupo Pulsar Internacional.

07/92-12/93 Director, Economic Consultancy CIEMEX-WEFA in Mexico.

04/88-06/92 General Director, Consultores Económicos Empresariales, S.C. in Mexico

(company of own economic consultancy).

EDUCATION:

08/07-present Studing the PhD -- Philosophy in Administration, ITESM,

Graduate School of Business and Management (EGADE), Monterrey, Mexico.

1991-1992 Master’s degree in Economics, ITESM, Campus Ciudad de México, Mexico

Bachelor’s degree in Economics, ITAM,

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Mexico.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES:

08/07-12/07 Professor, Regional Economy in the Masters in Economics and Public Policy,

EGAP-ITESM, Monterrey Campus.

08/07-12/07 Professor, Monetary Theory and Policy, Department of Economy,

ITESM, Monterrey Campus.

01/07-05/07 Professor, Economectrics Methods in the Masters in Economics and Public Policy,

EGAP-ITESM, Monterrey Campus.

01/07-05/07 Professor, Financial Prospective in the Masters of Strategic Prospective,

EGAP-ITESM, Monterrey Campus.

Mr. Barajas was born in Mexico an initiated his career there with Whirlpool in 1991. He graduated with a BA in Economics from the Monterrey Tech at Monterrey Mexico, and MBA from the Universidad Regiomontana at Monterrey Mexico and a Master of International Management from Thunderbird in Glendale, Arizona.

Mr. Barajas initiated his career as a Buyer and then Commodity Manager at Whirlpool in Monterrey, Mexico and in late 1997 he was asked to join the Global Procurement Group based at St. Joseph, MI. During his career at Whirlpool, he has held different positions with increasing responsibility for global commodities such as steel, compressors, motors, glass, evaporators and other.

His latest global procurement responsibilities, have been in the position of Global Director of Cooling Systems Sourcing in the period of 2004-2005 and since 2006, he has held the position of Director Global Commodity Management - Steel which represents the largest commodity spend for Whirlpool.

In his latest role he was given the task to globalize the steel sourcing group which before 2006 was organized in multi-regional teams. Today, the global steel team manages the steel supply for over 40 facilities in 12 different countries, and counts with sourcing offices at India, Brazil, Mexico, China and USA. Whirlpool is considered in the industry as one of the leading companies in the globalization of steel sourcing, and the creation of global relationships with their suppliers.

Bachelor’s degree, in Wolfsburg, Germany

Industrial Engineering, Tecnological University in Berlin, Germany.

EXPERIENCE

Volkswagen A.G. 1962 – 1978

- Tools technician, Stamping.

- Tools designer, Automation equipment.

- Production leader in Presses area.

- Production leader in Presses area, Puebla, México

Daimler-Benz A.G. 1978 – 1989

- Presses Manager in Bremen plant, Germany

- Bodywork production for:

Roadster R 129

C Model (190)

T Modelo (Station Wagon)

- New way of automation (robots, transfer presses)

- New materials (e-coat, high strength steel, aluminium)

ZF / Lemforder Corp. (Main EE.UU.) 1989 – 1991

- Vice President of Operations

Products: power steering pump, steering columns, ball joints.

- 2 -

Benteler de México, Puebla 1991 - 1994

- General Manager

- Construction of a new plant

- Products: auxiliary frames, parts and subassemblies of frames.

Krupp Metalúrgica de México, Puebla 1994 - 1997

- General Manager

- Construction of a new plant.

- Products: hot forged parts, such as crankshafts, piston crowns, connecting rods.

Formex Automotive Industries, Saltillo, Coah. México

1997 - 2004

- General Manager

- Construction of the second largest worldwide chassis plant, with 3500 employees.

- Installation of the state of the art technology, such as hydroform process

- Installation of the technical school for toolmakers and maintenance, certified by Germany.

- Director of Operations 2002 – 2004

of all the metalmechanics Magna – Cosma plants in Mexico.

Cosma International, Group of Magna

- Vice President of Latin America 2004 – 2007

Magna International Inc.

- Vice President Business Development

of Latin America 2008 – up to date

PROFESSIONAL AND GRADUATE STUDIES

Law Degree, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM).

Masters in Commercial Law, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León.

D1 Executive Management Course, Instituto Panamericano para la Alta Direccion de Empresas. (IPADE)

PUBLIC OFFICE

Federal Delegate of the Ministry of Economy in the State of Nuevo Leon. (2004- to date). State Congressman for the State of Nuevo Leon in the LXIX Legislature (2000-2003). Legal Sub-coordinator of the PAN Legislative Group (2001-2003). General Counsel of the Municipality of Los Herrera, N.L. (1997-2000).

PRIVATE EXPERIENCE

Member of the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity, Garcia Rendon Inn.

Member of the Consulting Board for the IPADE.

Honorary Member of the Mexican Legal Foundation.

Board Member of several Domestic and International Companies.

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Professor of the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in the courses of Civil Law 1, Banking Law, Commercial Procedural Law and Tax Law (1998-2001).

PRACTICE AREAS

Corporate Law, Tax Law, Foreign Trade, Mergers, Spin-offs and Liquidations, Foreign Investment, Agreements, International Commerce, Litigation and Amparo.

LANGUAGES

English and Spanish.

Ricardo Arias was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. In 1992 he moved to Houston, Texas to attend Houston Baptist University. He graduated in 1995, with a double major in Business Administration and Marketing. Upon graduation Mr. Arias began a career in international transportation and logistics.

Mr. Arias has worked in sales and operations management for trucking, third party logistics, freight forwarding and steamship companies always with an emphasis in business development in Mexico. He joined the Port of Houston Authority’s Trade Development Division in April 2003 as a Trade Development Representative for the Houston area and Mexico. In August of 2005 he was promoted to Trade Development Manager for Turning Basin Terminals, focusing his efforts on break bulk cargoes and business development with Mexico. His duties are to promote and generate international and national trade benefiting the local economy by educating the public and maritime industry about the high quality services and facilities the Port of Houston Authority and the Port of Houston has to offer.

In 2008, Kansas City Southern promoted Gloria Ballesteros from VP of sales and marketing to SVP of sales, marketing and asset management.

Miss Ballesteros leads Kansas City Southern de México S.A. de C.V.’s (KCSM) commercial group and reports to KCSM President and Executive Representative Jose Zozaya.

In addition, she coordinates commercial matters with KCS Executive VP of Sales and and international asset management issues with Kansas City Southern Railway Co. (KCSR) EVP and Chief Operating Officer Scott Arvidson.

During the past 13 years, Ballesteros has held various operations and commercial leadership positions for KCSM and its predecessor. Prior to joining KCS, she was Alstom’s Association of American Railroads rules coordinator.

Mr. Montes' practice focuses on International Trade Law, international and foreign trade agreements, rules of origin, customs procedures, tariff preferences, non tariff barriers, import – export programs, trade dispute, settlement procedures; Corporate Law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring; Administrative Law, government procurement and public works contracting procedures.

He has been an associate since the year 2000 and has participated in major corporate and investment transactions, including the introduction of a major automotive company into the Mexican market, years before the complete phase out of the investment and performance requirements for this industry. He has also participated in international trade dispute settlement procedures, including a procedure regarding rules of origin for personal computers, which constitutes the first international trade dispute settlement procedure ever carried out within the organization of ALADI (Latin American Integration Association).