A renewed Executive Board in the World Foundry Organization for 2026
February 8 2026The WFO renews the group of renowned senior professionals from industry and academia responsible for the operational management of the WFO
The WFO is proud to announce a renewed Executive Board for 2026 after the new appointments decided in the last General Assembly celebrated past year. Along with the new Presidency in Poland and Vice Presidency in UK, the Executives from China, Germany, Spain and Japan will be joined by new Executive members from Türkiye and France, along with the ones from South Korea, United States and Czech Republic who entered the group in different stages during past year.
‘These new executives will undoubtedly usher in a new era for the Board in a context where global cooperation is crucial, I am very excited about the new ideas they are introducing. Their impressive professional background helps to get an idea of the impact they can have on the global foundry community,’ said the WFO Secretary General, José Javier González.
Below is some brief information about the WFO Executives who join the team in 2026 and those who began their term last year:
Ali Esat Kutmangil (Türkiye) began his professional career while still at university, taking on active roles within the family-owned businesses. Between 2003 and 2009, he served as a Member of the Board of Directors at Kutman Group of Companies. In 2007, he joined Kutes, initially working in Business Development and Sales. From 2008 to 2016, he contributed to the company’s strategic direction as a Board Member. Since 2016, he has been serving as Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Kutes.
Guillaume Allart (France) has over 20 years of international leading operations and teams across Europe, Asia, and Americas. He held technical director and leadership positions at major companies like Fonderie de Brousseval et Montreuil (FR), Meita group (SRB), Honeywell Turbo Technologies (CZ), and PSA Peugeot Citroën (FR). He is now the Vice President of French Foundry Technical Association ATF and the & Technical & Customer Service Manager at Elkem SA.
Seung Mok Yoo (South Korea) has held the positions of Director of the Foundry Technology Center, Director of the Joint R&DB Lab. in Aachen (Germany), Director of the International Cooperation Department, and Executive Managing Director at the Research Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology at Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH). He has been awarded by the National Science and Technology Commission and by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy in South Korea. Dr Yoo is currently a Senior Researcher at Research Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology at KITECH.
Bradford D. Muller (United States) spent nearly a decade in Washington, DC, including stints with the U.S. State Department and Edelman Worldwide, the largest public relations and public affairs agency in the world. Brad began his career working for the U.S. State Department’s Agency for International Development (USAID) in the George H.W. Bush Administration. At Edelman, Brad put his foreign policy experience to work for the late Michael Deaver, former Deputy Chief of Staff to President Ronald Reagan. Currently, Brad leads corporate communications and government affairs for Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company, the leading U.S. producer of cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings for plumbing systems.
Vladimír Krutiš (Czech Republic) is currently working as an assistant professor at Brno University of Technology (BUT), Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Department of Foundry Engineering. From 2001-2018 he worked as a business development manager and later as a Sales Director for Central and Eastern Europe at the ESI Group. He is the Vice president of the Czech Foundryman Society and Chairman of the Technology Commission, as well as Chairman of the WFO Working Group for Management. Since 2019 he has been responsible for developing investment casting technology at the BUT.
The composition for the WFO Executive Board in 2026 is detailed next:
| President: | Rafal Danko (Poland) |
| Vice President: | Lee Jenkins (UK) |
| Treasurer: | Xabier Gonzalez (Spain) |
| Elected Members: | Seung Mok Yoo (South Korea) Bradford Muller (SAD) Kazumichi Shimizu (Japan) Vladimir Krutis (Czech Republic) Ali Esat Kutmangil (Türkiye) |
| Representatives of Presidents council: | Yanchun Lou (China) Carsten Kuhlgatz (Germany) |
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