Displaying items by tag: Appointment

Nigeria: Dangote Cement’s profit in 2019 was US$685m, down by 17% from US$822m in 2018. Sales were US$2.46bn, down by 1.1% year-on-year from US$2.49bn in 2018. “Export sales were affected by the Nigeria-Benin border closure in the second half of 2019. Looking ahead, I expect an increase in volumes in 2020 as we commence clinker exports via shipping from Nigeria,” said Dangote Cement CEO Joe Makoju. The group reported pan-African volume growth to 9.4Mt/yr, noting a 94% growth in Tanzanian volumes, aided by the commencement of operations at a temporary gas power plant in the East African country.

Retiring from the company, Makoju said, “I am proud to have watched Dangote Cement grow from a local producer back in 2007 to a major force in global cement production. Dangote Cement has eliminated Nigeria's dependence on imported cement.” He wished his successor Michel Puchercos all the best in his new role.

Germany: Matthias Mersmann has been appointed by the Supervisory Board as a new member of the Management Board of KHD Humboldt Wedag International AG, effective 1 February 2020. He contributes his long-term expertise in the technology of cement manufacturing processes and equipment design, which he has acquired in various executive positions with OEM suppliers as well as an independent consultant. From 1994 to 2008, Mersmann worked for KHD Humboldt Wedag in Cologne and became familiar with the product portfolio, the staff and cement clients.

After leaving KHD in 2008, Mersmann founded the cement consultancy aixergee GmbH and specialised on the optimisation of equipment of all kinds and makes for the manufacture of cement. He was also called into the Executive Committee of Loesche GmbH for five years, where he was responsible for the technology of the Loesche products.

"While the cement industry emits 7% of all man-made CO2-emissions alone, a future without cement is unthinkable,” says Mersmann. “This, along with the digital transformation, will set the frame for all industry participants to re-shape their way of doing business. For KHD this provides so much more an opportunity than it provides a problem. KHD has a combination of advantages that can help it to develop a prosperous future, if we work it out right. It will take all our ambition and motivation and maybe a lot of ‘new thinking, ’ but it will be worthwhile. I am looking forward to cooperating with the best engineers in the industry and a highly qualified and motivated team in the management board to bring KHD back into a leading position of the cement equipment suppliers.”

Mario Zhu, CEO of KHD, said, “We are all very happy at the return of Matthias back to KHD! I am sure with his leadership KHD technology team shall be further strengthened and thus bring further benefit to our clients and the global cement industry.”

Germany: Gebr. Pfeiffer has appointed the current head of its Malaysia office Timothy Burden as president of its US subsidiary Gebr. Pfeiffer Inc., effective 1 January 2020. Burden brings 15 years’ materials handling and crushing engineering and sales experience to the role. He studied at Queen’s University Belfast and attained his Masters in engineering from the University of Southhampton in 2004.

Gebr. Pfeiffer will replace Burden in the Malaysian office with Vesa Peurakari, an experienced project and service manager and sales professional with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Gothenburg.

Ireland: CRH has appointed Richard Boucher as its chairman designate. He will succeed the present chairman, Nicky Hartery, on 1 January 2020. Hartery, who has been chairman since May 2012 and a board member since 2004, will retire as chairman and from the board at the end of 2019.

Boucher, aged 61 years, joined the board of CRH in March 2018 and has been chairman of CRH’s Remuneration Committee since September 2018. He was chief executive of Bank of Ireland Group from 2009 to 2017. He also held a number of key senior management roles within Bank of Ireland, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank. He is a nonexecutive Director of Kennedy Wilson Holdings and Eurobank Ergasias.

Zambia: The majority government-owned Zambia Consolidated Copper Mine (ZCCM) Investment Holdings has appointed Mabvuto Chipata its chair. ZCCM’s cement division faces the challenge of national overcapacity due to market saturation as it moves ahead with the US$600m construction of a 1.6Mt/yr integrated cement plant and 57MW power station in Masaiti, Copperbelt province. Thierry Charles, speaking on behalf of the Euronext minority shareholders, expressed relief at ‘the definitive turning of a page on several years of hazardous, inconsistent and disastrous investments.’

UAE: The board of Sharjah Cement and Industrial Development elected Othman Mohammed Sharif Abdullah as its new chairman at a meeting on 12 October 2019. Mubasher has reported that the company, which is based in the UAE, and also listed in Kuwait, also appointed Salah Abdulla Al Noman to its board.

UK: Dr Nina Cardinal has joined Hanson Cement as its new national technical manager. She heads up the division’s technical team, which offers customers advice, information and support on all cement and cementitious issues.

Nina previously worked at Tata Speciality Steels for more than 20 years, latterly as technical director responsible for a 70-strong team, before joining the University of Sheffield as director of operations in the Faculty of Science in 2016.

“I am delighted to join the Hanson team,” said Cardinal. “I am looking forward to building on our market-leading technical support and working with our customers to ensure they get the best possible customer service.”

Mark Hickingbottom, commercial director bulk products, added, “Nina has an excellent understanding of product and service development and will be working with customers and operational teams across our cement and concrete business lines.”

Malaysia: Malayan Cement has appointed Ho Say Keng as its company secretary. Serene Lee Huey Fei and Koh Poi San have resigned from the post.

Ho Say Keng is the company secretary/accountant of the YTL Corporation Group, YTL Power Group, YTL Land & Development Group and YTL Cement Group. She is a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA), a registered member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and an affiliate member of the Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. She obtained her Diploma of Commerce (Financial Accounting) from Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1981. She joined the YTL Corporation Berhad Group in May 1986 and her responsibilities include coordination of the group's treasury, banking and corporate finance matters.

Australia: Adelaide Brighton has appointed Emma Stein as an independent non-executive director. She holds over 30 years’ experience in board and senior executive positions in the building materials, oil and gas, energy and utilities, mining and resources, water and waste management sectors. Before emigrating to Australia, she was the UK Managing Director for Gaz de France Energy. Currently she is director of Alumina, Cleanaway Waste Management and Infigen Energy.

Arlene Tansey has retired from Adelaide Brighton following eight years of service as an independent non-executive director. She worked as the chairman of the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, as a member (and former chairman) of the People and Culture Committee and former chairman of the board’s previous Corporate Governance Committee. Zlatko Todorcevski, deputy chairman and lead independent director, will chair the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee following Tansey’s departure.

South Africa: PPC has appointed the former Holcim Philippines chief operating officer and Eastern Europe regional CEO Roland Van Wijnen to the position of CEO. Van Wijnen, who holds a master’s degree from the University of Twente, will take over control of the company’s 6.2Mt/yr total integrated capacity across South Africa and Zimbabwe from Johannes Theodorus Claassen on 1 October 2019.