Knapp became secretary general of the London-based IAI in December 2008 and would be replaced by Miles Prosser from the Australian Aluminium Council at the end of the year.
As an adviser to the office of the chairman at Hongqiao, Knapp would be attached to the company’s office in Hong Kong and also to Hongqiao’s production base in Shandong, and London and Australia.
"The role is to assist Chairman Zhang Bo in taking the Hongqiao story beyond China and into the world," Knapp told Reuters on the sidelines of the China Aluminum Week forum in Qingdao.
However, Hongqiao did not immediately respond to the request for comment.