Paolo Rocca steps down as Tenaris CEO

Businessman Paolo Rocca left his position as CEO of Tenaris, the star company of Grupo Techint and one of the main manufacturers of steel pipes for the energy industry worldwide. The company announced Gabriel Podskubka will be the new executive director. Rocca will remain as president of Grupo Techint and as chairman at Tenaris. While Tenaris said the replacement was part of a “long-term leadership plan,” the move comes following harsh criticism from President Javier Milei against Rocca after the businessman questioned the government’s open trade policies. Milei went so far as to dub Rocca “Don Chatarrín” (“Mister Scrap Metal”), accusing him of being a prebendary businessman who for years allegedly profited from privileges tied to political power and now conspired against the libertarian administration. You may also be interested in: Why Milei is blasting an Argentine CEO over pipeline protectionism Tenaris announced the change on Wednesday, highlighting Rocca’s role in the international expansion of the firm and in consolidating its leadership at a global level. “The members of the Board of Directors wish to express their deep gratitude to Paolo Rocca for his outstanding leadership in transforming Tenaris into the clear global leader it is today,” the company stated. It added that Rocca “has proven to have an extraordinary vision by creating a unified company that offers critical and uniquely differentiated products and services to customers in the energy industry.” The statement said Rocca “has been the architect of the company’s continuous growth over the past 25 years,” during which he reinforced “the solid industrial values that are the foundation of his success.” Who is Gabriel Podskubka According to Tenaris, naming Podskubka as Rocca’s replacement “reflects the culmination of a long-term process of planned leadership.” Podskubka had been Chief Operating Officer (COO) since 2023 and has a history of three decades in the company. He first began working there in 1995 and occupied leadership positions in marketing, commercial and industrial areas. Podskubka was in charge of Tenaris’ negotiations in Eastern Europe from 2009 to 2013 and later led operations in the Western Hemisphere between 2013 and 2023. He was currently coordinating the sales and marketing area, supply chain and production operations, and the development of products and services. Wins and losses Rocca’s departure as CEO was announced on the same day Tenaris released its quarterly results, showing a 9% improvement in net profit compared to 2025. The move also comes months after Techint suffered a hard blow in Argentina, when Tenaris lost a key bid for the provision of steel pipes for the country’s ambitious Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) project in the Vaca Muerta oil and gas field.  The episode led to public criticism from Milei, who said  Rocca’s company had grown accustomed to winning bids in Argentina, despite the high price of their products. Tenaris is currently one of the largest steel manufacturers and producers of services related to the energy industry. It operates in 19 countries, employs 25,000 people, and registered annual net sales for US$12 billion by the end of 2025. The company has a yearly production capacity of 8.7 million tons of steel pipes with and without seams, and has declared capital investments of US$617 million. With information from Ámbito