David L. Britten Joins U. S. Steel as Vice President - Tubular Technology & Business Development

PITTSBURGH, April 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) announced today that David L. Britten will join U. S. Steel effective May 3, 2011, to serve in the newly created position of vice president – tubular technology & business development.  

Britten, 50, will oversee energy services and tubular technology development efforts, including premium connections, as well as other business development activities.  He will report to Senior Vice President – Tubular Operations Douglas R. Matthews, and as an executive officer of the corporation will be based at U. S. Steel's corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh.  

"The energy market continues to represent an important growth opportunity for our company, particularly with the advancement of unconventional drilling and completion technologies being used to develop shale oil and gas resources across North America," said U. S. Steel Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John P. Surma.  "The expansion of the U. S. Steel executive team to include David Britten in this newly created role reinforces our commitment to becoming the energy industry's supplier of choice for high-quality, value-added tubular products and services."  

"David is widely recognized in our industry as an innovative thinker and his more than 20 years in the tubular steel business further deepens the expertise of our company's talented management team," noted Matthews.  "David has a demonstrated record of driving results and building strategic relationships, and we are confident that his contributions will be immediate and significant as we continue to develop the products and services that our customers need both now and in the future."

Most recently, Britten served as executive vice president of Sweden-based steelmaker SSAB and president of SSAB's Americas division.  He began his career in the steel industry in 1985 when he joined the former IPSCO as a product development engineer and began his tubular experience as a sales representative in Calgary, Alberta.  At IPSCO, he served in a variety of increasingly responsible management roles in several disciplines, including quality assurance, tubular manufacturing, and business and corporate development.  From 1999 until 2006, Britten served as vice president and general manager for IPSCO's Tubular Division.  After SSAB acquired IPSCO in 2007, he was named senior vice president – steel for the company's IPSCO division.  

A native of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, Britten earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia (now known as Dalhousie University) in Halifax in 1983.  He obtained a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario in 1985.  During his career, Britten has been active in several prominent industry trade associations, including serving on the boards of the American Iron and Steel Institute, the Steel Manufacturers Association and the Metals Service Center Institute.

Britten and his wife, April, and their children will relocate to the Pittsburgh area.  

U. S. Steel Tubular Products, Inc., a subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation, is the largest tubular products manufacturer in North America, with total annual production capability of 2.8 million net tons.  Energy industry customers utilize U. S. Steel Tubular Products' casing, tubing, line pipe and couplings to help them locate, retrieve, transport and refine the oil and natural gas products that fuel the world.

For more information about U. S. Steel and U. S. Steel Tubular Products, visit www.ussteel.com.

SOURCE United States Steel Corporation