Wim Van der Stricht is Secretary General of the European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP), with more than 25 years of experience in industrial research, technology strategy and innovation. He previously served as Corporate CTO Technology Strategy – CO₂ and Circular Economy at ArcelorMittal, where he worked on technology development and collaborative innovation for the decarbonisation of steelmaking. His expertise covers low-carbon steel production, CO₂ management, circularity and European research and innovation policy. At ESTEP, he works with industry, research organisations, technology providers and policymakers to shape European R&I priorities and accelerate the development, demonstration and deployment of technologies for a competitive, resilient and climate-neutral steel industry.