Cavendish Lecture Series: The UK Steel Strategy

Jon Bolton

Co-Chair and Independent Industry Advisor, UK Steel Council

Jon is the Co-Chair, with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade of the UK Steel Council, established in January 2025 to develop a Steel strategy for the UK Steel industry.

One of the most widely respected figures in the UK Steel industry Jon has over 40 years’ experience in steel on both sides of the Atlantic. Following various engineering and operational roles in the UK Jon was seconded to the USA for 5 years when he was part of the leadership team that constructed and ran a mini mill in Alabama. Between 2000 and 2019 Jon led primary and secondary steel businesses in the UK and Continental Europe.  He was also a Non-Executive Director of Sheffield Forgemasters from 2016 to 2018.

Jon was the Chair of UK Steel from 2013 to 2015 and jointly chaired a previous incarnation of the UK Steel Council with the Secretary of State for Business and Industry for two years. During this time Jon also chaired a group that formed the UK Metals Council.

He was until September 2025 the Chair of the Materials Processing Institute based on Teesside and is currently a Main Board advisor to Emirates Steel and Chair of the British Steel Advisory Committee.

He has a passion for developing the skills of young people and is The Kings Ambassador for Industrial Cadets, a scheme gives young people direct experience of industry. He was a Trustee of the Engineering Development Trust (EDT) who manage the Industrial Cadets programme. Jon is a  Fellow of the Institute for Materials. Minerals and Mining and was awarded the Bessemer Gold Medal for outstanding services to the steel industry in 2019.