Pakistan: Gharibwal Cement has appointed Abdur Rafique Khan as its chair. He succeeds Mian Nazir Ahmend Peracha in the post.

Germany: Matthias Mersmann, the Chief Technology Officer of KHD, has died. The Germany-based equipment supplier announced the news on 12 February 2026.

Mersmann started the role of Chief Technology Officer at KHD Humboldt Wedag in 2020. Prior to this he worked for KHD from 1994 to 2008 in a variety of positions starting as a process engineer and eventually becoming Vice President Technology and R&D. In 2008 he founded the cement process optimisation consultancy aixergee with Martin Weng. He also advised Loesche in the 2010s as a member of the executive committee responsible for technology and innovation. Mersmann held a master's degree in mechanical and process engineering from RWTH Aachen University. He is survived by his wife Geli and two daughters, Lisa and Lilly.

Robert McCaffrey, Editorial Director of Global Cement Magazine, said “We are very sad and shocked to hear this. Matthias was a brilliant guy, great company, very sympathetic and, of course, technically, first class. He was also a very eloquent and engaging speaker at several of our conferences. He still had a lot to give in life and he’ll be widely missed.”

Paul Brown, Commercial Director of Global Cement Magazine, added “Matthias was far more than a cement expert, which he certainly also was, but he was also a charismatic gentleman and excellent company. I also considered him a good friend who will be sorely missed."

Germany: Vecoplan has appointed Ralf Guckert as its CEO. He succeeds Werner Berens in the role, who has resigned for personal reasons.

Guckert has been the Chief Operation Officer of MAX Automation, the parent company of Vecoplan, since 2021. Earlier in his career he worked as Head of Business Support Systems at Ericsson. This was followed by Chief Technology Officer roles at Orga Systems and Redknee and then a stint as the managing director of Günther Holding. Guckert holds a PhD in Physics from the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Indonesia: Solusi Bangun Indonesia has appointed Anwar Bakti as Head of Operational Performance Excellence.

Bakti has worked for the subsidiary of Semen Indonesia since 2019 and then for Lafarge Indonesia before that from 2008. He started as a Process Engineer for Lafarge in Malaysia and later moved to Technical Manager roles in Indonesia. He was the Plant General Manager of the Cilacap cement plant from 2024 to early 2026. Bakti holds a master of business administration (MBA) qualification from the University of the People and an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Institut Teknologi Bandung.