Ireland: Ecocem Ireland has appointed Annemarie Harte as managing director of its Irish business. She succeeds Micheál McKittrick, who is moving to a new post as Ecocem’s managing director for Northern Europe with the responsibility for the Irish, UK and Benelux markets.

Harte was previously the chief executive officer (CEO) of Hardware Association Ireland, a representative body for hardware and DIY retailers, builders merchants, and manufacturers and distributors. She has also held a number of other senior roles, including consultant with the Royal Life Saving Society, CEO of Rotary International and manager of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Chamber of Commerce.

Europe/Singapore: ZAG International has appointed Daniel Ulestig as Managing Director, Head of Global Shipping and European Business operation. He will have responsibility for all of ZAG’s shipping activities around the world as well as leading the company’s business interests in Europe.

Ulestig started his career as a trainee at Holcim Trading in Madrid, Spain in 1998. In 2003, he joined Belden Shipping as a market analysts and moved to Singapore in early 2004 later becoming its Commercial Director. Belden Shipping was subsequently acquired by Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Skipsrederi of Bergen, Norway in late 2006. In 2008, Ulestig was named Assistant Vice President of KGJC Cement (Singapore), with responsibility for all chartering activities east of the Suez. In 2010, he assumed oversight of the Singapore office and was named to the entity’s board of directors in 2011. In 2014, Ulestig was made Vice President of KGJ Cement in Singapore. He moved back to Sweden in late 2017 where he continued to serve as KGJ Cement’s Vice President Chartering.

Japan: Toshihiko Onishi has been appointed as Representative Director, Executive Vice President of Sumitomo Osaka. He succeeds Yushi Suga. The final decision on the promotion will be made in late June 2019 at the company’s annual general meeting. Onishi, aged 61 years, is currently a Senior Managing Executive Office for Sumitomo Osaka. He joined the group in 1981 and became a director in 2016.

Bangladesh: Alamgir Kabir has been appointed as the president of the Bangladesh Cement Manufacturers Association (BCMA). His term covers the 2019 – 2020 and the 2020 – 2021 period, according to the Financial Express newspaper. Md Shahidullah, managing director of Metrocem Cement and chairman of Metrocem Group, and Zahir Uddin Ahmed, managing director of Confidence Cement, were elected the first and second vice-presidents of the BCMA respectively.