Steel mill services provider SMS, based in Portage, appointed Henrik Nielsen its chief financial officer.
Nielsen has 25 years of experience in building global financial strategies.
“Henrik is absolutely the right person to lead SMS's finance organization at this stage of our growth,” said Jeremy Kirchin, CEO of SMS, in a press release. “His in-depth knowledge of working, developing and leading high-performing teams internationally, combined with a demonstrated ability to build strong financial infrastructure in high-growth companies, will be invaluable as SMS continues to scale.”
Nielsen most recently served as CFO of the Americas at WSAudiology, where he led a regional finance division for the international hearing health care company. He also was the CFO of the North American division at Scan Global Logistics and LogPoint A/S.
SMS was founded in 2005 by brothers Jeffry and Rick Gertler. Private equity firm FalconPoint Partners acquired the company in 2025 for $500 million.
“Henrik has successfully navigated complex, high-growth environments and has a proven ability to align financial strategy with core business objectives,” said Andrew Singer, partner at FalconPoint Partners.
Nielsen will guide SMS's financial strategy, and partner with the executive team and the company's board of directors.
“I’m impressed with SMS’s commitment to operational excellence and its ability to deliver exceptional customer service,” Nielsen said. “The foundation here is strong, and I see tremendous opportunity to build on that momentum.”
SMS also appointed Chris Dods, formerly president and CEO of Strategic Materials, and James Herald, formerly CEO of Evraz North America, to its board of directors.
“There is strong momentum across the organization, a clear commitment to customers, and a great culture,” Dods said in a press release. “I’m eager to be involved as the company continues to pursue growth opportunities.”
SMS offers environmental services, scrap and slag management, raw materials handling and processing, and slag handling and treatment in the U.S., Europe and South America. The Portage-based company also decommissions marine vessels for the United States Maritime Administration and commercial companies.
