Herige’s new administrative/financial Director

The French group VM Matériaux has decided to change its name to Herige.

The new visual identity is to be put into place in the following weeks.

This decision was made in order to clearly distinguish between the group and its building material trading division, which will continue to use the name VM Matériaux.

The group also includes industrial joinery and concrete divisions.

The Board of Directors of LafargeHolcim has decided to establish a more market-focused and agile management organisation. 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

France-based VM Matériaux has announced that it is to merge its Préfa des Pays de Loire (PPL) and Vendée Béton businesses into the operation of the main group in order to improve operation of its concrete business and take advantage of synergies to reduce costs. The group currently holds stakes of 25% and 34%, respectively in PPL and Vendée Béton, with the balance owned by certain of the Group’s family shareholders. The two companies produced a combined turnover of €34.5million in 2009.

Italy-based Cementir Holding has appointed Giovanni Luise as chief financial officer.

The 59-year-old takes up his appointment with immediate effect at Cementir, which manufactures grey and white cement, ready-mixed concrete, aggregates and concrete products, exporting to 70 countries worldwide.

Luise has held several finance managerial roles at multinational companies in sectors including utilities, pharma, defence industrial business and automobiles.

In recent years he worked as chief financial