The Board of Directors of
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 organisations 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, 47, a Romanian and French citizen who succeeds Roland Köhler, who has decided to retire, is appointed as Head Region Europe and Member of the Executive Committee. He joined LafargeHolcim in 2000 and has held various operational roles in six different countries and has been Country CEO in Indonesia, Iraq and currently Morocco.
Roland Köhler will retire at the beginning of 2018 after a successful career within LafargeHolcim spanning more than 30 years. He has been a Member of the Executive Committee since 2010, most recently as the Head of Europe, Trading and Oceania.
He will continue to support LafargeHolcim as Chairman of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction,and will also continue to represent the group as a non-executive director in local subsidiaries of the company.
Region North America
René Thibault,51, is appointed Head Region North America and Member of the Executive Committee. A a Canadian citizen, he succeeds Pascal Casanova who has decided to pursue opportunities outside of the group.
Thibault joined LafargeHolcim in 1989 and has held various roles in France and Canada. He has been the CEO of Western Canada since 2012
The two global business functions, Performance & Cost and Growth & Innovation, will be merged into a new corporate department, with Growth & Performance, under one leadership. LafargeHolcim says this will enable it 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.
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 on 3 January 2018, earlier than previously announced..
Jan Jenisch, LafargeHolcim CEO, said: “I am delighted to welcome Géraldine, Marcel and René to the Executive Committee.
“Establishing a market-focused management organisation 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 organisation will be complemented by a strengthened performance management system focusing on growth, cash conversion, capital efficiency and people development.”
