Our Consultants

Through an alignment with the activities of Boomer Commodities (Poland) and Steel Derivatives (UAE), John joined the Aleph team in 2016

John’s steel foundations were laid in 1980s as a trader, opening up Eastern Europe, Ukraine and Kazakhstan for Stemcor, completing technical and commercial DD on > 30 assets before heading to warmer climes and setting up the Group’s trading operations in the Middle East, and, in 1996, their steel-for-oil&gas division, Stemcor Projects and Contracts.

In 2000 John progressed into steel financing accepting senior roles in investment banking (Standard Bank – Global Head of Steel), derivatives (NewEdge – Global Head of Steel), trade infrastructure (DMCC – Exec Director of Steel and Base Metals) and risk management, co-founding consultancy Steel Derivatives in 2003. Perhaps best known for Steel Derivatives, John delivered the architecture behind the world’s first steel international futures contract, to date the world’s most successful commodity derivatives contract (ShFE Rebar), as well as a suite of other ferrous derivatives contracts to global and regional exchanges.

Published author in steel supply chain risk management and holding an award-winning MBA from the University of Oxford, John’s career has now come full circle, bringing together his steel finance, risk, and trading acumen for leading roles at Trafigura, UD, and latterly at consulting vehicle Boomer Commodities, which represents Aleph in Europe. Reciprocally, John leads Aleph’s core ferrous consulting mandates in the Middle East

Sami graduated from the University of Antwerp in Applied Economics in the early 90s. He then went on to work in the trading business in Antwerp, first trading diamonds, then in food items and then ending up working in ferrous trading. His career in the steel business began with the company  'ASE Metals N.V.' in Antwerp in the mid 90s. He then went to Saudi Arabia to run their Middle Eastern operations from 1997 till 2003. 

During that time he became Foreign Trade Advisor for the Belgian Embassy in Riyadh. This was an honorary title bestowed by the Belgian Government to businessmen and women who proved their worth helping the motherland with their personal contacts, business acumen and special skills in the country where they are residing.  

After Saudi Arabia he went to Dubai and set up AB Metals. This was a vehicle intended to trade in ferrous and non ferrous steel in the region. He is still heading this company until today.

In 2013 he founded Aleph Management and Marketing Consultancy to help existing customers in the steel business with consultancy related to the major aspects of the steel business. From 2013 till 2015 Aleph brokered deals North of 200 million Us$. These were mainly deals related to consulting on trade finance in the steel business.

In 2016 when John Short came aboard Aleph started taking on more consulting jobs requiring technical expertise in very specific areas in steel making. Sami's role among others is to open doors in the region with high level customers in steel and other industries.  

After a short period in the Cu/Pb/Zn concentrate trading business with the German mining group Preussag AG in London, Gilles joined the Marc Rich commodity trading group in 1987 and remained as an oil product trader until 1994 with various European postings. 

From 1994 to date, Gilles has been involved at managerial level in all aspects of the steel industry with major global concerns like ArcelorMittal & the Trafigura Group, giving him significant exposure to raw material procurement, scrap recycling, steel making and marketing.

Lately, thanks to a rich experience in various aspect of the steel industry, he has been entrusted with the restructuring of steel plants, setting-up costs cutting programs, raw material procurement security, productivity enhancement & diversification projects achieving successful and prompt turn-arounds in the Plain Carbon, Alloy & Stainless steel sectors.

Through posting in various countries, he has developed a taste for international roles designed to drive growth in multicultural settings. Gilles graduated from the European Business School (Paris) and holds an MBA of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management (Phoenix, AZ, USA).

Ian brings thirty years of project management and operational experience in heavy industry, with extensive international and multicultural exposure. A combination of problem solving, commitment and leadership skills have enabled significant benefits in terms of safety performance, increased productivity, enhanced product quality, reduced waste and improved financial performance in the mills he has worked for.

Ian graduated as an MSc (Eng) Ferrous Metallurgy and started his career with British Steel Plc, Scunthorpe Works, UK in the mid 80s where he held various operational management positions and covered in the Steelmaking and Continuous Casting Plants of British Steel’s largest manufacturing site with an annual output of over 4 million tonnes of steel. 

In the late 90s he joined Ispat International, Irish Ispat Ltd in Ireland as 'Meltshop Manager'. He was member of the small management team within the Steelworks ‘mini-mill’ reporting to the company Chief Executive, with responsibility for the whole of the Meltshop with over 100 operators, engineers and assistant managers.

He then went on to join Corus PLC and worked in three different operations for the group ending up in Teesside Cast Products UK in mid 2000 as 'Steel Making Manager'.

Ian joined Emirates Steel, Abu Dhabi in 2008 where he was steelmaking specialist within the Client Project Management team involved with the design, construction, and commissioning of a 1.4Mtpa, US $1.4 billion integrated steelworks including Direct Reduced Ironmaking plant, an EAF based Meltshop, Heavy Sections Mill and Auxillary Plants.

In 2014 Ian joined SULB Company B.S.C. in Bahrain as 'General Manager Meltshop/Acting General Manager Direct Reduction Plant.