Steel Dynamics is putting a long-planned leadership transition into motion, naming longtime CFO Theresa E. Wagler as its next president and CEO while expanding technology and operational leadership across the metals company. The succession plan, effective January 1, 2027, places experienced internal executives in key roles and gives Chief Technology Officer Barry Schneider a broader mandate spanning technology, process innovation, safety, information technology and decarbonization.
Leadership succession is increasingly becoming an enterprise technology and workforce issue, particularly for industrial companies navigating automation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and decarbonization at the same time.
Steel Dynamics’ latest executive changes illustrate that shift.
The company said its board unanimously approved the appointment of Theresa E. Wagler as president and chief executive officer effective January 1, 2027. Wagler, who has served as executive vice president and chief financial officer since 2007, will succeed co-founder Mark D. Millett, who will retire as CEO and become executive chairman.
Wagler will also join Steel Dynamics’ board immediately.
The transition follows an internal succession-planning process designed to preserve continuity while preparing the company for its next phase of growth. Millett has led Steel Dynamics for more than three decades, during which the company expanded substantially while maintaining what executives describe as an entrepreneurial operating culture.
The leadership change is notable from a workforce perspective because Steel Dynamics is not relying on an external executive search for its top job. Instead, it is elevating a veteran internal leader with nearly three decades of company experience.
That approach reflects the value of institutional knowledge in complex industrial organizations, where leadership decisions can affect manufacturing operations, technology investments, workforce safety and long-term capital planning.
Technology takes a larger seat at the executive table
One of the more significant changes takes effect September 1, 2026, when Barry Schneider becomes executive vice president and chief technology officer in a newly expanded strategic role.
Schneider will oversee product and technology development, process innovation and the company’s decarbonization strategy, while retaining companywide responsibility for safety and information technology.
The combination is significant.
Technology leadership at industrial companies increasingly extends beyond traditional IT infrastructure. Manufacturing organizations are integrating connected equipment, industrial software, automation, data analytics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity into production environments.
At the same time, decarbonization requires technology investments across energy management, materials processing, production efficiency and supply-chain operations.
By putting technology, process innovation, IT, safety and decarbonization under a broader executive mandate, Steel Dynamics is effectively treating digital transformation as part of its operating strategy rather than as a standalone IT function.
For HR and workforce leaders, that has consequences. As industrial companies automate production and introduce increasingly sophisticated digital systems, employees need new technical skills, managers need to redesign workflows and companies need succession pipelines capable of producing leaders who understand both business operations and technology.
Internal succession becomes a strategic capability
Wagler’s promotion is only one part of the succession architecture.
Richard A. Poinsatte, currently executive vice president and treasurer, will become CFO when Wagler takes over as CEO.
Steel Dynamics is also redistributing operational responsibilities among several long-serving executives.
Miguel Alvarez will oversee both the company’s aluminum flat-rolled products and metals recycling operations. James Anderson will add steel fabrication to his existing responsibilities for the long-products steel group. Christopher Graham has been promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer for flat-rolled steel operations.
The common thread is internal experience.
The executives named in the announcement have spent significant portions of their careers at Steel Dynamics and have moved through multiple operating and leadership positions. That provides the company with a leadership bench familiar with its processes, customers and culture.
It also provides a useful example of internal mobility in an industrial workforce.
Rather than treating succession planning as an event that occurs when a CEO retires, companies increasingly view it as an ongoing talent-management process involving executive development, rotational assignments, cross-functional experience and identification of future leaders.
For HR organizations, the lesson is straightforward: succession planning becomes more resilient when leadership pipelines are built years before positions become vacant.
Manufacturing leadership is becoming more technology-intensive
Steel Dynamics’ expanded CTO role comes as industrial companies face pressure to modernize operations while maintaining productivity and safety.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs research has consistently identified technological change as a major driver of workforce transformation, with employers expecting AI, automation and digitalization to alter job requirements and skill needs. Manufacturing is among the sectors where these changes are particularly visible.
For companies such as Steel Dynamics, the workforce challenge is not simply whether machines can automate particular tasks. It is whether the organization can develop employees who can operate, maintain and improve increasingly digital production systems.
That requires investment in technical training, leadership development and continuous learning.
It also changes the relationship between HR and technology leadership.
A CTO responsible for process innovation and industrial technology needs a workforce strategy capable of supporting new systems. Conversely, HR leaders need visibility into which skills will become more important as automation and digital tools spread across production.
The result is a gradual convergence of HR technology, industrial technology and enterprise transformation.
What the transition means for enterprise workforce strategy
Steel Dynamics’ succession plan provides a case study in how large industrial organizations can combine leadership continuity with organizational change.
The company is preserving institutional knowledge at the CEO level while simultaneously expanding technology leadership and redistributing operational responsibilities.
That balance may become increasingly important as manufacturers contend with skilled-labor shortages, automation investment, cybersecurity requirements and decarbonization.
For enterprise HR teams, the key takeaway is that succession planning cannot be separated from business strategy.
Future CEOs and operating executives increasingly need familiarity with technology, data, automation and workforce transformation. Meanwhile, technology leaders need a deeper understanding of operations and people.
Steel Dynamics’ leadership structure is moving in that direction.
Wagler brings long-term financial and strategic experience to the CEO role. Schneider’s expanded technology mandate places digital capabilities closer to the company’s core operating strategy. Other executives are gaining broader cross-business responsibilities.
The result is more than a CEO handoff. It is a deliberate reshaping of the leadership bench around the capabilities an industrial company will need in its next phase.
For HR leaders watching the manufacturing sector, that may be the most important development of all: succession planning is evolving from replacing executives to building an organization capable of continuously adapting its leadership, technology and workforce together.
Market Landscape
Industrial employers are navigating simultaneous pressures from automation, AI, skilled-labor shortages, cybersecurity, supply-chain complexity and decarbonization. These forces are changing the skills expected from both frontline employees and senior executives.
The traditional division between HR, IT and operations is consequently becoming less distinct. Technology leaders increasingly influence workforce productivity, while HR leaders are becoming more involved in skills planning, digital adoption and organizational redesign.
Steel Dynamics’ expanded CTO role reflects this convergence. By linking technology, process innovation, safety, IT and decarbonization under one executive mandate, the company is aligning several areas that increasingly depend on shared data, automation and workforce capabilities.
For enterprise HR organizations, the competitive advantage lies in identifying future leadership capabilities early and creating internal development pathways before business-critical roles become open.
Top Insights
- Theresa Wagler will become Steel Dynamics CEO in 2027, providing leadership continuity while longtime CEO Mark Millett transitions to executive chairman.
- Technology gains broader executive influence, with Barry Schneider overseeing product innovation, IT, safety and decarbonization as the company’s expanded CTO.
- Internal succession is central to the strategy, with veteran executives taking expanded responsibilities across aluminum, recycling, fabrication and flat-rolled operations.
- Industrial workforce planning is becoming more technology-driven, requiring leaders who understand automation, cybersecurity, data, decarbonization and operational transformation.
- The leadership reshuffle connects succession with business strategy, showing why enterprise HR teams increasingly need long-term executive development and skills planning.
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