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Switzerland: Thomas Schmidheiny has decided not to stand for re-election for the board of LafargeHolcim. In recognition of his years of service to LafargeHolcim and its predecessor company Holcim, the board of directors has decided to name Schmidheiny honorary chairman of the group. He will remain one of the group’s main shareholders. Fellow board member Bertrand Collomb has also decided to stand down.

“For almost 50 years Thomas Schmidheiny has made a significant contribution to the success of Holcim and later LafargeHolcim. He was instrumental in successfully expanding into promising growth markets and has made Holcim one of the leading companies in its industry. On behalf of the board and all employees I would like to thank Thomas Schmidheiny for his exceptional contribution to our company,” said Beat Hess, chairman of the board of LafargeHolcim. He also thanked Collomb for his contribution to Lafarge and then LafargeHolcim.

Schmidheiny began his career at Holcim in 1970. He became a member of the executive committee six years later and served as chief executive officer (CEO) between 1978 and 2001. After joining the board of directors in 1978 he was chairman of the board of directors from 1984 until 2003. Later, he was a key part of the merger between Holcim and Lafarge that completed in 2015.

Collomb joined Lafarge in 1975. After serving in different management positions, including Head of North American operations, he served as chairman and CEO of Lafarge from 1989 to 2003, as chairman until 2007 and then subsequently director until 2012. He was named honorary chairman of Lafarge in 2007 and joined LafargeHolcim’s Board in 2015. Collomb has also decided not to stand for re-election at the upcoming annual general meeting, in order to follow a customary age limit of 75 years.

All other current members of the board of directors will be proposed for re-election at the annual general meeting. This will include: Beat Hess; Oscar Fanjul; Paul Desmarais, Jr; Patrick Kron; Gérard Lamarche; Adrian Loader; Jürg Oleas; Nassef Sawiris; Hanne Birgitte Breinbjerg Sørensen; and Dieter Spälti. Following the election of the nominees the board of directors will drop in size to 10 members compared to 12 at present.

UK: Samson Materials Handling has appointed Karl Woodhouse as its sales director with effect from February 2018. Woodhouse’s career in materials handling started almost 27 years ago with B&W Mechanical Handling, which became Samson Materials Handling in 2013. Samson Materials Handling, a subsidiary of Aumund Group, sells products in the bulk materials handling sector.

Pakistan: Lt Gen Tariq Khan has been appointed as the chief executive and managing director of Fauji Fertilizer Company, the owner of Fauji Cement. He succeeds Lt Gen Shafqaat Ahmed.

Switzerland: Roland Köhler has been appointed as the chairman of the board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. He succeeds Rolf Soiron, the founding chairman of the Foundation since 2003, with effect from 1 April 2018.

Brinda Somaya, Principal Architect & Managing Director of Somaya & Kalappa Consultants in Mumbai, India and Stuart Smith, Director of Arup, a multinational engineering Group based in London, UK have also been appointed as new members to the board of the foundation.

The foundation selects and supports initiatives that combine sustainable construction solutions with architectural excellence and enhanced quality of life beyond technical solutions. Through the non-commercial promotion and development of sustainable construction at national, regional, and global levels, the LafargeHolcim Foundation encourages sustainable responses to the technological, environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues affecting building and construction.

China: Stephen Liu Yiu-keung has resigned as the chairman of Shanshui Cement. He will be succeeded by Li Liufa, according to the Hong Kong Standard newspaper. Other personnel changes include the resignations of Li Heping as an executive director and chief executive, of Han Yike as the chairman and legal representative of Shandong Shanshui Li Heping as vice chairman.