ASI’s Board of Directors
Key responsibilities of the ASI Board include:
- Setting the vision, purpose and strategies of the organisation and assessing overall organisational performance
- Ensuring financial integrity and resilience, including approving annual budgets and reviewing financial reports
- Overseeing risk assessment and management of identified risks
- Adoption of new or revised ASI standards and assurance models by making them a By-Law, where due process has been followed by responsible Committees and no material risks are identified
- Overseeing implementation of the ASI Complaints Mechanism and related disciplinary procedures for members
- Setting the tone for ASI’s culture and conduct, and ethical and responsible decision-making throughout the organisation.
Composition
ASI’s Board is multi-stakeholder and composed of 8 people. ASI members elect two Directors from each of Production and Transformation, Industrial Users and Civil Society membership classes. In addition, two Independent Directors are appointed by the elected Board.
Terms are normally 2 years. There is possibility for re-election at the end of a term, up to a maximum of 6 continuous years. Directors have staggered terms, so that in each of the 3 membership classes and among the two Independent Directors, there will arise one vacancy per year. Casual vacancies are filled according to processes set out in ASI’s Constitution.
Meet the ASI Board Directors
Dr Sasha Courville, Independent Director
Sasha is a strategy and sustainability expert with over twenty years’ experience in systems change across a range of industries and sectors, most recently in the financial sector for the past 12 years. She was previously the Executive Director of the ISEAL Alliance from 2005-2012, and has been a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer for Water Stewardship Australia. She brings expertise in next generation sustainability standards systems and online information platforms and tools to enhance access to information about standards, and extensive experience in strategy, multi-stakeholder engagement, natural capital and ecosystems services frameworks and shared value initiative design.
Yongxing Zang, Chairman and President, Lizhong Group
Mr. Zang serves as the Chairman of the Board and President of Lizhong Group, where he specialises in corporate governance and capital market operations. He has spearheaded the Group’s global strategic expansion, overseeing its initial public offering and a series of high-impact mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring transactions. Mr. Zang’s expertise in strategic layout and industrial transformation have elevated Lizhong Group’s international competitiveness.
Catherine Athènes, Vice President, Group Sustainability and Public Affairs Europe, Constellium
Catherine is an experienced leader in the areas of sustainability and aluminium. With over 30 years of international experience in sustainability, corporate strategy, marketing and sales, Catherine has spent over two decades working in the aluminium industry, for companies such as Pechiney, Alcan, and since 2011, Constellium. At Constellium, Catherine played a key role in establishing the first Sustainability Council in 2013 and has been leading the company’s sustainability agenda since 2018. As Vice President Group Sustainability and Public Affairs Europe, she is responsible for driving the company-wide ESG strategy, including climate change, recycling, promotion of a sustainable and responsible supply chain. She is working closely with business and plant leaders, as well as liaising with the Executive Committee and the Board. Catherine is active in many industry associations, advocating for initiatives to promote a sustainable aluminium industry.
Catherine is a graduate of the French business school HEC Paris, the University of Köln in Germany and the Carlson School of Economics, Minnesota.
Julia Batho, Deputy CEO, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)
Julia Batho is Deputy Chief Executive at the Institute for Human Rights and Business, an independent non-profit thinktank, working to make respect for humanrights part of everyday business. Julia is a qualified lawyer and human rightsexpert with over 15 years’ experience on international labour standards and labour migration. She established IHRB’s presence in Southeast Asia and has managed the Institute’s work on labour rights, including its outreach in the GCC, since 2019. As Deputy CEO, Julia works closely with the CEO and COO on the strategic development, financial management and good governance of IHRB. Julia is one of the organisation’s safeguarding leads and also has oversight of IHRB’s Monitoring & Evaluation and impact reporting activities. Originally from Brazil, Julia has previously worked with the International Labour Organization in Southeast Asia and Geneva.
Anders Blom, Senior Advisor, Protect Sápmi Foundation
With nearly 50 years of experience across the private, public, and NGO sectors, Anders has held numerous leadership roles focused on strategic governance and organisational development. His academic background in behavioural science has shaped a holistic and human-centred approach to leadership, governance, and organisational development.
For the past 20 years, Anders has specialised in Indigenous Peoples’ rights within global sustainability systems, contributing to FPIC guidance for the FSC and ASI. He is an ASI Registered Specialist and the author of the Indigenous Participatory Cumulative Impact Assessment (IPCIA) manual.
Melissa Cutler
Melissa (Mel) Cutler is a sustainability, strategy and governance leader with over 20 years’ experience driving commercial growth, business value and sustainability impact. She has held senior and executive roles across clean energy, banking and finance, health insurance and conservation sectors leading the integration of sustainability into core business strategy. Mel brings extensive board and governance experience, having served as a non-executive director and board advisor across the commercial property, energy, agriculture and conservation sectors, including in capacities as Chair and Deputy Chair of the Board, and as a member of audit, risk and finance committees.
René Klöpper, Expert Sustainability, Becker Aluminium-Service GmbH
René Klöpper is Sustainability Expert for the Becker Group and Head of Contract & Document Management at Becker Aluminium-Service GmbH. With over 20 years of international experience across the aerospace, defense, and automotive sectors, he has held key roles at Becker Metals, Aleris (now Novelis), thyssenkrupp Aerospace, and Allegheny Technologies.
At Becker Metals Group, he leads the sustainability strategy, driving efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions, improve resource efficiency, and strengthen regulatory compliance. In close collaboration with the CEO and executive team, he integrates sustainability into the core business model and positions the company as an industry leader in responsible practices.
René holds an MBA from the Open University Business School in Milton Keynes and a Six Sigma Black Belt certification from the Six Sigma College in Düsseldorf.
Sabine Sigle, Global Sustainability Senior Manager, Nemak SAB de CV
Sabine is currently Global Head of Sustainability at Nemak, a leading Tier-1 supplier of lightweight aluminum solutions for the automotive industry. She is responsible for the company’s global ESG strategy (2030/2050) and leads the implementation of SBTi-aligned net-zero roadmaps across aluminum production and the automotive value chain.
With over 15 years of international experience in automotive manufacturing, she combines deep understanding of industrial operations and lightweight materials with strong ESG governance expertise. She drives decarbonization through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable supply chain initiatives, addressing both operational and Scope 3 emissions.
Board Minutes Summaries
The Board meets regularly, mainly via teleconference but also at times in person. Summaries of the meeting minutes are published below for transparency.
