NEW CHAIRMAN

The Industrial Gas Users Associations is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Eddy as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Eddy succeeds Mr. Benoit Gratton whose term terminated in November 2011.

Mr. Eddy has 10 years of experience working in the Canadian steel industry and for the last 20 years has worked in mining and mineral processing operations in the United States and Canada. In 1996, he joined VALE, a global mining company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For the majority of his tenure at VALE, he was responsible for the safe operation of several different processing facilities at the Sudbury, Ontario nickel operations. In 2007, as a result of demonstrating “sustainable” leadership within the business and his commitment to the well-being of the community and the natural environment, Jim was appointed as the Director of Environment for VALE’s global Nickel operations. In April 2009, he was appointed as the General Manager of Energy for Vale’s businesses in Canada and the UK.