Century Aluminum Company announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Mr Michael Bless as acting president and CEO.

Mr Terence Wilkinson chairman of Century's Board of Directors said that "During his tenure at Century, Mr Mike has played a pivotal role in guiding the Company through and out of the financial crisis while demonstrating strong leadership and winning the respect of his peers. His experience makes him an excellent choice to guide the Company forward at this juncture. The Board believes the Company is well positioned to succeed and we have great confidence in Mr Mike's abilities and in those of the other members of Century's leadership team."

Mr Bless has served as Century's Executive VP and CFO since January 2006 and will continue to retain that role. Prior to joining Century, Mr Bless previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of Rockwell Automation, Inc. and was an investment banker at Dillon, Read & Company for over 10 years.

Mr Bless said that "I am honored by the opportunity to lead Century at this critical juncture. We are continuing our efforts to return the Hawesville smelter to stable operations, and remain on track to reach full capacity during the Q1 of 2012. Grundartangi's performance continues to be excellent and discussions continue in several key areas of the Helguvik project as we await the arbitration decision with one of our power suppliers."

Mr Bless succeeds Mr Logan Kruger who has terminated his employment with the Company and resigned as a director. Mr Kruger has also brought a lawsuit against the Company alleging breach of contract and wrongful termination. The Company believes these claims are without merit and intends to vigorously defend itself against them.