UK: James Thorne has been appointed as the joint-head of the Mineral Products Qualifications Council (MPQC) and The Institute of Quarrying (IQ) with effect from December 2023. He has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of IQ since 2017. He takes over the new joint-position following the retirement of the MPQC‘s current CEO Viv Russell.

The appointment of a joint-head of both organisations marks a long-standing collaboration between the two membership organisations. The MPQC and the IQ signed a memorandum of understanding in 2022 to work together to increase the value of membership services within the mineral products sector and further develop partnerships with other sectors, industries, and government bodies. This also supports the strategy to develop the National Stone Centre as an international centre of excellence for the mineral products industry.

Established in 1983, the MPQC is a 'not for profit' membership organisation whose purpose is to fulfil the extractive sector's need for a safe, competent and sustainable workforce through the setting and maintaining of standards and qualifications, ensuring quality training and assessment.

The IQ is the professional membership body for quarrying, and the related mineral products extractive and processing industries, with a worldwide membership of more than 5500 individuals.

India: Sagar Cement has appointed J Raja Reddy as its company secretary and compliance officer with effect from 11 November 2023. He succeeds R Soundararajan in the post, following his retirement for health reasons. Reddy has worked for Sagar Cement since 2013 and is currently working as the company’s assistant company secretary.

Denmark: FLSmidth has appointed Christopher Ashworth as the president of its Cement division. He succeeds Asger Lauritsen, who left the post in August 2023. Group chief financial officer Roland M Andersen has acted as the interim president of FLSmidth Cement in the intervening period. Ashworth was previously the vice president and managing director of Eurotherm, a subsidiary of Schneider Electric. Prior to this he worked for Invensys and Wonderware.

UK: Fernando Gonzalez has been appointed as the president of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA). He has been the association’s vice-president since 2018 and succeeds outgoing president Jan Jenisch.

Gonzalez has called for industry and governments around the world to establish a "robust regulatory framework" that can further accelerate the cement and concrete sector's decarbonisation efforts. He said "It is a great honour to be president of the GCCA - cement and concrete are the world's essential building materials. As an industry, we've gone beyond the commitment phase to taking decisive action today to reduce our CO₂ emissions."

Gonzalez is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Cemex. He has worked for the company since 1998. On the operational side, he has led various regions of Cemex, including Europe, Asia and South Central America and the Caribbean, and has held corporate positions in strategy, planning, business development and human resources. He was appointed Executive Vice President of Planning and Development in 2009, chief financial officer in 2011, and has been the company's CEO since 2014.