Türkiye: Çimentaş has appointed Gürol Ozer as its General Manager. He will be responsible for the overall management of cement, ready-mixed concrete, aggregates and waste management operations at the subsidiary of Cementir Holding.

Ozer previously worked as the Technical Operations Director at Çimentaş from 2019. Before this he worked as the General Manager of CSG Mühendislik. Earlier in his career he was the General Manager of Afyon Cement and held various roles at Çimsa. He holds a master’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Çukurova University in Adana and an Executive Master’s of Business Administration qualification from IEDC - Bled School of Management.

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.

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."