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Bangladesh: Sumanta Pandit has been appointed as CEO of Holcim Cement (Bangladesh) Ltd. Pandit joins Holcim Bangladesh from Emirates Cement, a subsidiary of UltraTech India, where he was heading the business in Bangladesh as country manager.

Prior to this, Pandit worked for various multinational cement companies in different management positions. During his long career in the cement industry, Pandit has worked in Switzerland, Oman, Kuwait, Sri Lanka and Sudan. With 22 years of exposure in the industry, he brings with him considerable regional and international experience. He holds an honours degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Mumbai.

China: West China Cement Ltd said that Tian Zhenjun has resigned as CEO and has been replaced by Ma Weiping, who will also take on the role of an executive director. It also said that Low Po Ling has resigned as deputy CEO. Tian and Low both confirmed they have no disagreement with the board.

US: Ash Grove Cement has appointed David Meyer as its new chief financial officer (CFO). Meyer will also serve as vice president of the company. He replaces Randy Vance who was promoted to president and chief operating officer in August 2014. As CFO of Ash Grove, Meyer will direct accounting, treasury, internal audit, tax and information technology functions.

Meyer previously worked as the CFO of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a US$13bn dairy cooperative that is the largest privately-owned business in Kansas City. While at DFA, he helped the company divest National Dairy Holdings and acquire a 100% stake in Kemps LLC.

Germany: The Supervisory Board of HeidelbergCement has added the position of a deputy chairman to its managing board. Dr Dominik von Achten, member of the Managing Board in charge of the North America Group area, Group Purchasing and the Competence Center Materials, has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Managing Board effective from 1 February 2015. At the same time, Dr Bernd Scheifele had his tenure as chairman extended until 2020.

India: Wonder Cement has appointment of Jagdish Chandra Toshniwal as Executive Director. Prior to joining Wonder Cement, Toshniwal spent 18 years with Ambuja Cement and was the Business Head of the Northern Region based in Delhi. An engineer by training, Toshniwal has strong operational and commercial skills.

Wonder Cement is planning to double its manufacturing capacity to 6.75Mt/yr by the fourth quarter of 2015. The company has said it will invest US$259m towards this. Wonder Cement is also in the process of increasing its dealer network. The company has significantly increased its brand spend.

The company's 3.25Mt/yr cement plant is located in RK Nagar, Tehsil-Nimbahera, District Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. A waste heat recovery system is currently being installed and the company is planning to build its own railway line and a captive power plant.