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LafargeHolcim makes group management changes

December 17, 2017  By LafargeHolcim


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December 17, 2017 – The Board of Directors of LafargeHolcim has decided to establish a more market-focused and agile management organization.

The profit and loss responsibility of the countries will be strengthened with a greater emphasis on developing and executing winning market strategies. The 30 largest country organizations will directly report to the executive committee and the global business functions will be merged under one leadership. As a result of these changes, the executive committee will be reduced to nine members.

The following changes are effective from January 1, 2018:

Region Europe
Marcel Cobuz is appointed as Head Region Europe and member of the executive committee. Marcel (47) a Romanian and French citizen succeeds Roland Köhler, who has decided to retire.

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Marcel joined LafargeHolcim in 2000. He has held various operational roles in six different countries and has been Country CEO in Indonesia, Iraq and currently Morocco. With his extensive experience in different markets and a successful P&L track record, he is the ideal leader to ensure the continuation of our successful European business.

Roland Köhler will retire at the beginning of 2018. He has had a successful career within LafargeHolcim spanning more than 30 years and has been a member of the executive committee since 2010, most recently as the Head of Europe, Trading and Oceania. Roland will continue to support LafargeHolcim as chairman of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. He will also continue to represent the group as a non-executive director in local subsidiaries of the company.

Region North America
René Thibault is appointed Head Region North America and member of the executive committee. René (51), a Canadian citizen, succeeds Pascal Casanova who has decided to pursue opportunities outside of the Group.

René joined LafargeHolcim in 1989 and has held various roles in France and Canada. He has been the CEO of Western Canada since 2012 with a strong track record in commercial roles and a deep expertise in downstream offerings for our customers. His strong leadership will enable our North American business to develop to the next level of performance.

The Board of Directors thanks Pascal for his valuable contribution to the success of the company and wishes him all the best for the future.

Simplifying the operating model
The two global business functions – Performance & Cost and Growth & Innovation – will be merged into a new corporate department, Growth & Performance, under one leadership. This will enable us to simplify the interfaces with the countries and to operate a more agile global platform for Best Demonstrated Practice.

Urs Bleisch, currently Head of Performance & Cost and Member of the Executive Committee, is appointed Head of Growth & Performance. Gérard Kuperfarb, Head of Growth & Innovation, has decided to pursue a career outside the Group.

The Board of Directors thanks Gérard for his valuable contribution to innovation and customer solutions and wishes him all the best for the future.

Alignment of Regions

The Regions will be fully aligned reflecting geographic and business similarities. Region Latin America will be complemented by Mexico, which was previously part of Region North America. Australia and New Zealand, previously part of Region Europe, will join Region Asia. China and Trading will report directly to the CEO.

The onboarding of the new CFO, Géraldine Picaud, is well underway and she will join the Group in January 2018, earlier than previously announced.* She will take over the CFO responsibilities on January 3, 2018.

“I am delighted to welcome Géraldine, Marcel and René to the Executive Committee,” said Jan Jenisch, CEO. “Establishing a market-focused management organization is an important step towards generating an attractive growth profile and taking the company to its next level of performance. The strengthening of the profit and loss responsibility of the countries and the simplification of global business functions will create a leaner and more agile operating model. Countries will be fully empowered and accountable for market strategies, cost discipline and results. The new organization will be complemented by a strengthened performance management system focusing on growth, cash conversion, capital efficiency and people development.”

About LafargeHolcim
LafargeHolcim is the leading global building materials and solutions company serving masons, builders, architects and engineers all over the world. Group operations produce cement, aggregates and ready-mix concrete which are used in building projects ranging from affordable housing and small, local projects to the biggest, most technically and architecturally challenging infrastructure projects. As urbanization increasingly impacts people and the planet, the Group provides innovative products and building solutions with a clear commitment to social and environmental sustainability. With leading positions in all regions, LafargeHolcim employs around 90,000 employees in more than 80 countries and has a portfolio that is equally balanced between developing and mature markets. 


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