Holcim PH names new CEO

MANILA, Philippines–Cement manufacturing giant Holcim Philippines. Inc. has announced the appointment of Filipino executive Eduardo Sahagun as its new chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2013.

The current president, Magdaleno Albarracin Jr. and expatriate chief operating officer Roland van Wijnen will step down on Dec. 31 and Jan. 31, 2013, respectively.

“There is no doubt that Ed is the right man to lead Holcim Philippines at this time …  (he) has certainly contributed much towards helping shape Holcim Philippines to become the strong company it is today,” said Van Wijnen in a statement.

Sahagun brings with him 33 years of experience in the cement industry, holding a number of positions in audit, treasury and controlling in the PHINMA Group before he was appointed chief finance officer for Holcim Philippines in 2002.

He assumed his current post of senior vice president-commercial in 2007 and subsequently led his team to expand the business by launching product and marketing innovations and customer-focused initiatives.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, with an MBA from the Ateneo Graduate School and a Masters in Management Science from the Arthur D. Little School of Management in Boston (now Hult International Business School) where he was a consistent dean’s lister.

Sahagun acknowledged that the baton was being passed at a time when the company was strongly poised for growth and the outlook for industry very rosy. Holcim Philippines achieved record volumes in the first half and has vowed to sustain this level of growth.

“I hope to be able to continue the many successes that Roland has led our company to achieve,” said Sahagun. “We will continue to focus on our roadmap and hopefully bring Holcim Philippines to take its place among the leading and most respected companies in the Holcim group.”

The cement company also acknowledged the contributions of Albarracin as president since it began operating as Holcim Philippines in 2004 as well as Van Wijnen’s able leadership in steering the company to sustained growth. Both will remain as directors of the company.

Holcim is one of the world’s leading suppliers of cement and aggregates (crushed stone, gravel and sand) as well as downstream activities such as ready-mix concrete and asphalt. The group holds majority and minority interests in more than 70 countries on all continents. Holcim Philippines operates four cement plants in La Union, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental and Davao and currently employs more than 1,800 employees in the country.