People

Kenya: Peter Kahi of PKF Consulting has been appointed as the administrator of Savannah Cement. This follows the resignation of Harveen Gadhoke, according to the Business Daily newspaper. Gadhoke was appointed as the administrator of the company in November 2022 when Absa and KCB attempted to put it into administration due to combined debts of US$66m. Savannah Cement fought back legally against the attempt to manage it externally but a court rejected this in July 2023.

India: Shree Cement has appointed Suresh Rathi as its Chief Logistics Officer and Sushrut Pant as its Head of Marketing.

Rathi is a mechanical engineer who holds a master of business administration (MBA) in finance. He holds over 30 years experience in supply chain, finance project management and information technology in the building materials, mining and metal sectors.

Pant holds a MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. He has worked in the fast-moving consumer goods and cement sectors.

UK: The World Cement Association (WCA) has appointed Wei Rushan as its president. He succeeds founding president Song Zhiping in the post.

Wei has been the president and executive director of CNBM since late 2022, having had a range of senior roles within CNBM Group over the last 15 years. He obtained a doctoral degree in political economy from the School of Economics of Renmin University of China in 2007. Wei also serves as president of China Building Materials Engineering Construction Association.

Saudi Arabia: The board of directors of Umm Al-Qura Cement Company has appointed Mohamed Fadl Kamel Al-Hawi as its interim chief executive officer. Previous company head Majid Tarik Gharbawi resigned in August 2023 with effect from mid-October 2023.

Mohammad Al-Hawi holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. His cement industry experience spans over 30 years, including his role as plant manager of the Umm Al-Qura Cement Company plant.

UK: James Thorne has been appointed as the joint-head of the Mineral Products Qualifications Council (MPQC) and The Institute of Quarrying (IQ) with effect from December 2023. He has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of IQ since 2017. He takes over the new joint-position following the retirement of the MPQC‘s current CEO Viv Russell.

The appointment of a joint-head of both organisations marks a long-standing collaboration between the two membership organisations. The MPQC and the IQ signed a memorandum of understanding in 2022 to work together to increase the value of membership services within the mineral products sector and further develop partnerships with other sectors, industries, and government bodies. This also supports the strategy to develop the National Stone Centre as an international centre of excellence for the mineral products industry.

Established in 1983, the MPQC is a 'not for profit' membership organisation whose purpose is to fulfil the extractive sector's need for a safe, competent and sustainable workforce through the setting and maintaining of standards and qualifications, ensuring quality training and assessment.

The IQ is the professional membership body for quarrying, and the related mineral products extractive and processing industries, with a worldwide membership of more than 5500 individuals.