Irina Gorbounova

Examiner
DISC Type : cs

Head of XCarb Innovation Fund at ArcelorMittal

London, England, United Kingdom

Overview

Irina Gorbounova is a senior leader at ArcelorMittal, where she serves as Vice President of M&A and Head of the XCarb™ Innovation Fund. She focuses on decarbonization and impact investing, steering strategic capital toward breakthrough technologies to transform the steel industry. She has executive education from Harvard Business School and IMD.

Outside of her corporate role, Irina is involved in philanthropic efforts. She serves on the Board of Directors at the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and acts as an Impact Campaigner for Women in Renewable Energy, a global network supporting professional women in the industry.

Unique fact: Irina is passionate about achieving a zero-carbon future and believes it requires not just technological, but also business model innovation.

Personality Overview

Status Quo Seeker

Late Adopter

Tough To Convince

They are thorough and always follow a systematic approach.  They do not like taking risks at all and go for proven options in the end. They tend to be clear about their needs and limitations and are unlikely to promise too much.

Topics They Care About

Industrial Decarbonization
Leads ArcelorMittal's XCarb fund, investing in breakthrough technologies to accelerate the steel industry's transition to carbon-neutral production, and holds board positions at multiple clean-tech companies.
Climate Tech Investing
With two decades of experience, she is responsible for executing strategic M&A deals and sustainable ventures, identifying and funding companies that can accelerate the journey to net-zero.
AI in Energy
She has publicly discussed AI's paradoxical role, noting it drives a surge in energy demand while also being one of the most powerful enablers of climate solutions.

Media Appearances

Episode 13: Irina Gorbounova, Head of XCarb Innovation Fund at ArcelorMittal. Featured in The Green Steel Challenge

See Now

Work History

5-2021
Head of XCarb Innovation Fund at ArcelorMittal
9-2005
Vice President Group Mergers & Acquisitions at ArcelorMittal
1-2023
Member Board of Directors at Boston Metal
11-2021
Strategic Advisory Committee Member at LanzaTech
2-2023
Member at Energy Resilience Leadership Group

Education

Executive Education from Harvard Business School
Executive Education from IMD

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 20 Location : London, England, United Kingdom Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Head of XCarb Innovation Fund at ArcelorMittal
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Insights For Selling To Irina

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Expect them to be slow and cautious, encourage them to ask more questions
  • Be firm in your communication and stay in control
  • First of all, focus on building their confidence by sharing examples, case studies etc.

DONT's

  • Don't push them too hard to make fast decisions, give them time
  • Don't use phrases like 'do not worry', 'i promise' etc.
  • Don't be very accepting if that is your natural style, stay firm

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Irina is

  • Adoption by others is very important to them, followed by confidence in ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Irina

  • Often, they don't say no, or keep going about it in circles.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Irina move?

  • They don't like to hasten, so their speed of decision-making may be slow.
  • Can Irina take some risk or not?

  • They have little willingness to take risks, and prefer making calculated decisions.

You And Irina

Personality Compatibility


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