Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has promoted Steven B. Hedlund to the position of Chief Operating Officer. The company, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a global leader in the welding sector.
Hedlund had previously served as the company’s Executive Vice President, President of the Americas and International Welding segments since 2020 and as a member of its executive management team since 2008.
As the chief operating officer, Hedlund will continue to lead the welding segments’ Higher Standard 2025 Strategy initiatives to advance growth and enhance margin and return performance, and will now have responsibility for The Harris Products Group, with HPG and regional presidents now reporting directly to him.
“Steve’s experience and leadership has been instrumental in shaping our Higher Standard 2025 Strategy and the commercial and operational initiatives driving accelerated growth, record performance and returns,” said Christopher L. Mapes, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Lincoln Electric. “Steve has been at the forefront of strategically positioning Lincoln for long-term, profitable growth for nearly 15 years, having led Automation, M&A, and the transformation of our international region, and as COO, he will continue to generate superior value for our stakeholders.”
Having joined Lincoln Electric in 2008, Hedlund has served as Executive Vice President, President of both the Americas and International Welding segments since 2020 and as Executive Vice President, President of the International Welding segment since 2017. He has also served as President of Global Automation and as Vice President, Strategy and Business Development.
Prior to joining Lincoln Electric, Hedlund held various executive leadership roles at Fortune Brands, Inc., and served as principal with the management consulting firm Booz Allen & Hamilton. He has a BA and MBA from Dartmouth College.
Lincoln Electric is a world leader in the engineering, design, and manufacturing of advanced arc welding solutions, automated joining, assembly and cutting systems, plasma and oxy-fuel cutting equipment, and has a leading global position in brazing and soldering alloys. The company is recognized as a Welding Expert for its leading materials science, software development, automation engineering, and application expertise, which advance customers’ fabrication capabilities to help them build a better world. Lincoln Electric has 56 manufacturing locations in 19 countries and a worldwide network of distributors and sales offices serving customers in over 160 countries. For more information, visit www.lincolnelectric.com.