Hilde Merete Aasheim

As the president and CEO of Norsk Hydro since May 2019, Aasheim has faced no shortage of challenges. She stepped into the post just months after the world’s largest integrated aluminum business was hit by a ransomware attack, which forced employees to use pen and paper and some facilities to shut down. The company was praised for its management of that crisis, but it was a difficult year all around. Sinking aluminum prices undercut revenue, which fell 6%, while the company posted a loss in 2019. The pandemic’s impact on global construction and trade has also hit the company hard, but under Aasheim, Norsk Hydro has continued to further its vision of low-carbon aluminum and expand recycling facilities, with all operations in its home country of Norway now powered by renewable energy. Subscribe to The Broadsheet, our newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.