From Italy to France, via Luxembourg, Alessandro Paganini has built a career entirely rooted in non-ferrous metals. Now Sales Manager at Genlis Metal, he represents a rare profile in B2B sales: over more than twenty years, he has worked across several key links in the value chain, including metallurgy, international trading, alloys, and recycling.
A business education focused on the real economy
In non-ferrous metals, the commercial function involves far more than prospecting. It requires an understanding of technical issues such as material flows, processing constraints, and alloy characteristics, as well as the expectations of industrial buyers, themselves embedded in complex value chains
Umicore: a first step into the world of metals
In December 1996, Alessandro Paganini joined Sogem Italia, then the commercial subsidiary of Union Minière. Sogem Italia later became Umicore Marketing Services Italia when Union Minière was renamed Umicore. Alessandro remained there until August 2007. It was also during this period that he met Laurent Coster. This first stage was a formative one, allowing him to consolidate his position within the metals ecosystem, in a group well known for its expertise in materials and specialized industrial value chains.
This experience gave him a lasting grounding in the commercial logic specific to non-ferrous metals: technical markets, long-term customer relationships, and a fine understanding of industrial needs. In this kind of environment, sales were already part of a European approach in which quality, material availability, and competitiveness played a central role.
Nyrstar: from the Italian market to international trade
In September 2007, Alessandro Paganini joined Nyrstar Italy as Sales Representative, covering the Italian market. He held this role until August 2010, before moving on to become Global Sales Manager at Nyrstar Sales & Marketing AG, a position he held from September 2010 to August 2014.
This progression marked a change in scale. His scope was no longer only national, but clearly international. In the world of zinc and non-ferrous metals, such a move reflects an increase in responsibility across more integrated markets, more exposed to international trade-offs, and more sensitive to shifts in supply and demand.
REAZN: from primary metal to more value-added products
In 2014, Alessandro Paganini joined REAZN in Luxembourg in sales roles. He remained there until 2024. This period extended his specialization while placing him in another segment of the value chain: zinc alloys, Zamak, and markets with a stronger processing dimension.
At REAZN, the focus was no longer simply on the circulation of a metal in an international market, but also on its value creation in more technical applications, much closer to industrial needs.
Derichebourg Environnement: the circular economy
In July 2024, he joined Derichebourg Environnement in Paris as Sales Manager, in sales functions related to recycling, the environment, and metals. This step is especially significant in light of recent developments in the sector. Recycling of non-ferrous metals has become a central issue for industry, driven by pressure on resources, regulatory requirements, demand for secondary raw materials, and decarbonization goals.
In this context, Alessandro Paganini’s career takes on an additional dimension: after primary industry, international trade, and alloys, he moved into direct contact with the logic of the circular economy.
Genlis Metal: a synthesis of the metal value chain
Since January 2026, Alessandro has been Sales Manager at Genlis Metal. This new step appears as the logical synthesis of a career built over the long term in non-ferrous metals. It extends a trajectory linking major or well-recognized players in the ecosystem: Umicore, Nyrstar, REAZN, Derichebourg Environnement, and now Genlis Metal.
« Joining Genlis Metal feels like coming home after a long journey. »
Through this path, one can also read the transformation of the sector as a whole. The boundaries between production, processing, trading, and recycling are being reshaped. Sales professionals in the industry no longer sell only a raw material; they operate within complex chains in which the origin, quality, destination, and recovery of that material have become inseparable and full-fledged industrial levers.
Alessandro Paganini’s trajectory therefore reflects a single underlying thread: that of a sales professional specialized in the flows, end markets, and balances of a sector in which material, more than ever, circulates between production, transformation, and the circular economy. At Genlis Metal, this trajectory may now take on particular significance at a time when the metals industry must combine commercial performance, recycling, and environmental proof points. In this landscape, LCA is increasingly becoming a common language between producers, processors, and industrial customers. With his strong roots in non-ferrous metals and his international network, Alessandro also fits into a development perspective that remains open across several European territories, especially Italy and Eastern Europe, where growth drivers still need to be structured or further developed.
