Stephen Hartwell Greer was born in 1968 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received a degree in Economics from Pennsylvania State University in 1991.

Mr. Greer moved to Hong Kong and founded Hartwell Pacific in 1993. Hartwell Pacific developed a successful business, trading a broad range of scrap metals as well as stainless steel sheets and coils.

In 1995, he joined ELG Haniel, the stainless steel recycling division of the German-based Haniel Group as managing director for Asia.  At 27, he was the youngest managing director in the group, but ELG Haniel decided to withdraw from Asia 2 years later and so Mr. Greer restarted Hartwell Pacific in 1997.  

Hartwell Pacific quickly re-established its scrap metals trading, targeting China and North Asia. Later in 1997, Hartwell started investing downstream into the physical collection and processing of stainless steel scrap by opening recycling yards in Manila, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Johor Bahru, South Carolina and Mexico. Turnover grew to US$35 million and a headcount of approximately 120 people.

In July 2003, Hartwell Pacific sold a 50 percent stake to Australia’s Smorgon Steel Group to create a joint venture company called Smorgon Hartwell Recycling. The Smorgon Steel Group is publicly listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and is a top 100 Company.  In addition, The Group is also one of the top three steelmakers, the largest distributor of construction steel and the largest domestic metal recycling company in Australia.

Mr. Greer served as Chief Executive of the joint venture, building the business to a turnover of US$150 million and employing 200 people, and in March 2005,

Smorgon Steel purchased the remaining 50 percent of Smorgon Hartwell Recycling, making it a 100 percent subsidiary of the Smorgon Steel Group. Mr. Greer stayed on as Chief Executive for Asia for Smorgon Steel Group’s Recycling division and served on Smorgon’s newly created Asia Board as part of the terms of the acquisition. Publicly listed Onesteel of Australia acquired Smorgon Steel Group in 2007, and Mr. Greer continued in his capacity as President of Asia for the Recycling division.

In 2008, having fulfilled all of his obligations under the acquisition and having grown turnover to US$250 million, he resigned his position and became a senior advisor to Oaktree Capital, the distressed debt and private equity investor.

Mr. Greer is the author of the book Starting from Scrap, published by Burford Books. He lives in Hong Kong with his wife and three children, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization.