Prior to joining Rusal, the world's largest aluminium producer outside China, Hesse was the vice president of sales and marketing for the Americas for India's Vedanta, and prior to that, global sales director in a rolled products manufacturer, Aleris International.

Rusal earlier in April landed its first investment in the United States since Washington lifted sanctions on it, teaming up with U.S. manufacturer Braidy Industries to build a mill in Kentucky.

The United States imposed sanctions on Rusal and its co-owner Oleg Deripaska in April 2018. Sanctions against Rusal and its parent En+ were lifted in January after Deripaska reduced his stake after months of talks and several extensions of the deadline for sanctions to take full effect.

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; editing by Andrew Osborn)