Holcim Ltd appoints new CEO

Markus Akermann, 64, who has been CEO of Holcim Ltd since the beginning of 2002, will be reaching retirement age at the end of January 2012. In view of this change, the Board of Directors has named Bernard Fontana new CEO of Holcim Ltd with effect from 1 February 2012. In Fontana, Holcim has secured the services of a business leader with many years of international experience in a sector comparable to the construction materials industry who will ideally complement the present Executive Committee. In a statement released on the company’s website, Rolf Soiron, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Holcim Ltd, said: “We have succeeded in finding a successor with a winning personality who has a true track record in corporate leadership as well as in central group functions such as HR and sustainable development.” Akermann will retain his seat on the Board of Directors until his current term of office ends in 2013.  

Fontana, 50, is a French national. He holds a degree in engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Techniques Avancées in Paris. His career began with Groupe SNPE in France. In 1998, he was appointed head of US operations, and from 2001 to 2004 was a member of the Executive Committee. Shortly after joining ArcelorMittal in 2004, he was given responsibility for HR, IT and business development at Flat Carbon. From 2006 to 2007 he was a member of the Management Committee of ArcelorMittal with responsibility for the Automotive Worldwide Business Unit. In his capacity as Group Management Committee member, he was subsequently responsible for HR and the global alliance with Nippon Steel. Since 2010, Fontana has been CEO of Aperam, a Luxembourg-domiciled listed corporate group that was spun off from ArcelorMittal in autumn of 2010. This newly formed corporation produces high-grade steel in Europe and overseas. Aperam generates sales of approximately US$6.5 billion and has a workforce of around 10 000 employees.

Markus Akermann’s career began in 1978 in the Latin American area. In 1987, he was appointed Area Manager, followed in 1993 by his election to the Executive Committee with responsibility for Latin America and international trade. He has been CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Holcim Ltd since 2002. The company announced that Akermann’s departure will be marked at the 2012 Annual General Meeting.

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