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UK: Holcim UK has appointed Jan-Willem Verkaik as the Project Director for its carbon capture project at its cement plant at Cauldon in Staffordshire.

Verkaik holds over 30 years’ project management experience, having overseen the planning and execution of gas developments in countries including Brunei, Iraq, Norway, Russia and the UAE. Much of his career has been spent working for Shell and related companies. He worked for Brunei Shell Petroleum on offshore projects from 2007 to 2013. He later held positions with Shell and joint-venture Basrah Gas Company. He is a graduate in mechanical engineering from the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

Canada: Progressive Planet has appointed Doug Brown as president and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at its subsidiary Progressive Planet Alberta. He has been on the advisory board of Progressive Planet since 2020. With this full-time role, he will be responsible for opening and operating the company’s new C-Quester Cement Lab in Calgary. He will also oversee all research and development activities for the Progressive Planet group of companies.

Brown holds a PhD in materials chemistry from the University of Calgary. He started his career as a research scientist at the University of Calgary working on direct air capture (DAC) where he was part of Carbon Engineering Group. Later, he was part of the founding team of ZS2 Technologies, where he led the development of various magnesium-based cement products as its CTO.

Pakistan: Flying Cement says that its CEO Agha Humayun Khan died on 22 September 2025. Khan had been in post since 2006. It described him as a “distinguished leader” and said that “his contribution to Flying Cement Company was significant.” He was reappointed as CEO for three months in May 2025. The cement company has started proceedings to appoint his successor.

US: Peru-based UNACEM has appointed Rafael Villalona as the CEO of its operations in North America.

Previously, Villalona was the CEO of Cemex in the UAE from 2020. He worked for the cement producer in various roles from 2007 starting in the Dominican Republic. He became the Country Manager for Jamaica in 2011, Haiti in 2015 and the group’s Vice President Commercial & Logistics based in Egypt in 2019. He was also the chair of the Mexican Business Council in the UAE in 2024 and 2025. Villalona holds an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the Ohio State University and a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Maryland.

Sweden: Cemvision has appointed Michael Niska as its chief financial officer (CFO).

Niska holds over 15 years of experience of senior financial roles in the transport and climate technology sectors. He worked as the Head of Business Control at heat pump manufacturer Aria from 2023 to mid-2025. Notable roles before this include the Group CFO of transport company LOTS Group from 2019 to early 2023. He also worked for Scania from 2010 to 2017. Niska holds a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Linköping University.