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Roger Smith appointed as Technical Manager by Plibrico
Written by Global Cement staff
27 February 2019
US: Plibrico has appointed Roger Smith as its Technical Manager. He will be responsible for development of refractory formulas and providing technical guidance to the company’s partners and customers. Smith will report to Plibrico’s Vice President of Engineering, Dan Szynal.
Smith holds 15 years of experience in the processing, characterisation and testing of traditional and advanced ceramics. Prior to Plibrico, his previous positions include RHI Magnesita and Bucher Emhart Glass, where he was a ceramist for almost 10 years. As a ceramist, Smith conducted technical customer visits to address performance concerns, developed and commercialised new refractory material.
Smith is a member of the America Ceramic Society, serving as chairman of the St Louis, Missouri section from 2014 - 2016. He also was a member of the ASTM Committee C08 on refractories from 2010 - 2017. Smith holds a Master’s degree in Ceramic Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.
Bernd Scheifele to step down as chairman of HeidelbergCement in 2020
Written by Global Cement staff
20 February 2019
Germany: Bernd Scheifele has decided to step down as chairman of the managing board of HeidelbergCement in February 2020 after 15 years in the post. He will be succeeded by Dominik von Achten, the current deputy chairman. Scheifele will then be proposed for election as successor to the chairman of the supervisory board at the annual general meeting 2022.
In other changes to the group’s managing board, Lorenz Näger will remain chief financial officer (CFO) until May 2022 and then become deputy chairman of the managing board. Jon Morrish, previously the head of North America, will take on responsibility for Western and Southern Europe from Von Achten in 2020. Chris Ward, currently head of the Canada region, will be promoted to the managing board and take on responsibility for North America from Jon Morrish. Ernest Jelito, currently the head of HeidelbergCement’s activities in Poland, will be promoted to the managing board and take on responsibility for Northern and Eastern Europe-Central Asia from Albert Scheuer, who will leave the managing board in August 2019.
“The changes in 2020 are part of long-term succession planning for the Supervisory Board and Managing Board of HeidelbergCement,” said Fritz-Jürgen Heckmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of HeidelbergCement AG. “Since assuming office in 2005, Dr Bernd Scheifele has decisively shaped the Group and successfully moved it into new dimensions both operationally and strategically. By introducing effective management processes and a lean organisation, he significantly increased the competitiveness of HeidelbergCement, propelling us to the forefront of the industry. He has also overseen expansion of our geographic footprint and the scope of our core activities and made HeidelbergCement the leading vertically integrated building materials company globally,” said Fritz-Jürgen Heckmann, chairman of the supervisory board of HeidelbergCement. He added that the changes in 2020 are part of long-term succession planning for the supervisory board and managing board of HeidelbergCement,”
Dominik von Achten has served as the deputy chairman of the managing board since 2015. He has been a member of the Managing Board since 2007 with responsibility for North America Group area and other topics. Currently, he is in charge of the Western and Southern Europe Group area and the Competence Center Materials. As Chief Digital Officer, he also oversees the digital transformation and digital ventures.
Lorenz Näger has been the CFO of HeidelbergCement since 2004. In addition, he is the head of finance, accounting, controlling, tax, treasury, insurances and risk management, information technology (IT) and shared service centre.
Ernest Jelito joined HeidelbergCement in 1982 and held various technical and management positions before taking over as Director Global HTC in 2009. Since 2015 he has worked as General Manager Poland.
Chris Ward has been with the group since 1996, holding various management positions in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas before taking on responsibility for the aggregates business in the Southeast region of the US. Currently, he is responsible for the Canada region in the North America Group area.
Bimlendra Jha appointed head of Ambuja Cement
Written by Global Cement staff
20 February 2019
India: Bimlendra Jha has been appointed as the managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Ambuja Cement, with immediate effect.
He joins the subsidiary of LafargeHolcim from Tata Steel where he has spent nearly three decades of his career. Over the past six years, he has held multiple leadership roles, including Executive Chairman Long Products Europe, Executive Director on the Board of Tata Steel Europe and CEO Tata Steel UK, looking after operations in UK, Sweden, and Canada.
He holds a B. Tech in Ceramic Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Varanasi and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management, Marketing and Finance from the Xavier School of Management Jamshedpur.
Guillaume Moyen appointed chief financial officer for operations at Dangote Cement
Written by Global Cement staff
20 February 2019
Nigeria: Dangote Cement has appointed Guillaume Moyen as its chief financial officer (CFO) for operations. He was the CFO of UAE-based OLA Energy from 2014 to early 2019, according to Bloomberg. He will report to group CFO Brian Egan.
Janusz Miluch appointed as chief executive officer of Cement Ożarów
Written by Global Cement staff
13 February 2019
Poland: Cement Ożarów has appointed Janusz Miluch as its chief executive officer (CEO). He succeeds Andrzej Ptak, who retired at the end of December 2018, according to Wirtualny Nowy Przemysl.