UK: James Whitelaw will take on the role of managing director in Hanson UK’s newly-established recycling business line. He will be responsible for identifying opportunities to grow organically using the company’s existing capabilities and for integrating new acquisitions.

Whitelaw has held management roles in Hanson UK since 2001 and most recently served as aggregates managing director. Former concrete managing director Brian Charleton will replace him in this role, while Gordon Napier, previously concrete regional director, joins Hanson UK’s executive team as the new concrete managing director.

Finland: Finnsementti has appointed Tommy Ranta as its Operations & Commercial Director.

Ranta has been employed by CRH and its subsidiaries since 2007. He originally started working for Finnsementti in 2007 as an Operating Engineer. He later worked for Jura Cement in Switzerland and then returned to Finnsementti from 2012 in a variety roles, including plant manager of the Parainen cement plant, before eventually becoming the company’s Production Director. He holds an undergraduate degree in economics and a master’s degree in science, economics and business adminsitrtion from Åbo Akademi University in Turku.

Spain: The Spanish cement association (Oficemen) has elected Alan Svaiter as its president. He will take charge of various cross-sectoral initiatives aimed at helping the local cement industry to meet present and future challenges. These include recovering its higher activity levels and advancing its net zero strategy. He succeeds Cemex’s director general of strategic planning, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia, José Manuel Cascajero, in the role.

Svaiter has held the position of chief executive officer (CEO) of Votorantim Cimentos España since January 2018. Prior to that, he worked in Brazil as Votorantim Cimentos’ supply chain director from 2014 and the CEO of its ready-mix concrete subsidiary Engemix from 2010. Earlier, he held management roles at logistics groups VarigLog and Vale.

Zimbabwe: Khayah Cement has appointed Arnold Zivanayi Chikazhe as its Company Secretary and Legal Advisor. He has acted as the company secretary of the company since May 2022, according to the Sunday News newspaper.

Chikazhe is a registered legal practitioner with over 15 years experience in various sectors, including retail, energy, mining, manufacturing, insurance, construction, health, public and non-governmental organisations both in Zimbabwe and the US. He holds legal qualifications from the University of Texas and the University of South Africa.