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UK: Breedon Group has appointed Amit Bhatia as its non-executive deputy chairman with immediate effect. Bhatia joined Breedon’s board as a non-executive director in August 2016, following the group’s acquisition of Hope Construction Materials. He is a director of Abicad Holding, a shareholder in Breedon, and vice chairman of Queens Park Rangers FC.

Spain: LafargeHolcim Spain has appointed Alberto del Valle as its director of Human Resources and Communications. Del Valle, an industrial engineer trained at the Charles III University of Madrid, holds over 15 years of experience in the construction industry. In 2008 he became the Director of Compensation and Benefits for Holcim Spain, before later becoming the Compensation and Benefits Manager Europe Region for LafargeHolcim in 2014 and the Career and Talent Manager Europe and Trading at LafargeHolcim Europe in 2016. His latest position also sees him become a member of the management committee of LafargeHolcim Spain.

Thailand: Amir Reza Sinai has been appointed as the managing director of Beumer Group’s subsidiary in Thailand. The local company, which has 59 employees, acts as Beumer’s regional headquarters in South East and East Asia, where it covers the divisions Conveying & Loading Systems and Palletising & Packaging Systems. It also provides solutions for the cement industry.

Prior to working for Beumer, Amir Reza Sinai was the chief executive officer of the Indonesian subsidiary of a global plant engineering and construction company. He joined Beumer’s Thai subsidiary in early 2017, and for almost a year he headed the company’s office in Jakarta, Indonesia. He took up his current post on 1 January 2018.

Switzerland: LafargeHolcim has appointed Feliciano González Muñoz as its new Head of Human Resources (HR). He takes on the role from 1 May 2018. He will succeed Caroline Luscombe who has decided to pursue opportunities outside of the company. González Muñoz will report to the group’s chief executive officer Jan Jenisch. However, in line with simplification and lean management, the Head of HR will not be a member of the executive committee, bringing it down to eight members.

Currently HR Director for Europe, Feliciano González Muñoz, aged 54 years and who is a Spanish national, has worked for more than 11 years in senior HR roles with the company. Feliciano González Muñoz has a PhD in Law from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and holds an MBA from Instituto de Empresa, Madrid.

Nigeria: Dangote Cement has appointed former Xstrata CEO Mick Davis as a non-executive director alongside Cherie Blair, a lawyer and the wife of ex-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The new board appointments are targeted at strengthening the company’s board, according to Bloomberg. While the company did not explain the reason for such high-level appointments, it has been reported that the company is planning to relaunch its bid to be listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). According to Bloomberg, Dangote has already approached investment bankers to discuss a potential UK listing.

Davis ran Xstrata, the mining giant now owned by Glencore, for 12 years to 2013. He is now the chairman of Macsteel and the CEO of the UK’s ruling Conservative party. Cherie Blair’s other board positions include Renault SA.