HeidelbergCement announced the appointment of Dominik von Achten to the chairman of the managing board, effective Feb. 1. He has been deputy chairman since 2015, and succeeds Bernd Scheifele.
“With Dominik von Achten, a competent, recognized, and internationally experienced manager from among our own ranks is taking over the chairmanship of HeidelbergCement,” emphasized Fritz-Jürgen Heckmann, chairman of the supervisory board of HeidelbergCement. “Over the past 13 years, he has proven himself in a variety of roles within the company. We are convinced that he will lead the group into a successful and sustainable future.”
von Achten has been a member of the managing board since 2007. His area of responsibility included the group areas of North America and Western and Southern Europe as well as the Competence Center Materials. He played a significant role in the successful integration of both Hanson and Italcementi. As chief digital officer, he is responsible for the areas of digital transformation and digital ventures.
Lorenz Näger, who has been the company’s chief financial officer since 2004, will take over the role of deputy chairman of the managing board from von Achten. Jon Morrish will head the Western and Southern Europe Group area; and Chris Ward, who was previously head of the Canada region and has been a member of the managing board since September, will take over the North America Group area and the Competence Center Materials.
“We would like to thank Dr. Scheifele for his many years of extraordinary and highly successful commitment to the company,” said Heckmann. “As chairman of the managing board, he has played a key role in shaping HeidelbergCement for 15 years. He successfully increased the company’s competitiveness by introducing efficient management processes and a lean administration, he expanded its geographic positioning and business activities, and developed it into the globally leading, vertically integrated building materials group. Under his leadership, HeidelbergCement’s revenue has more than doubled to around €18 billion, result from current operations almost tripled, and the headcount increased by roughly 40% to around 57,000 employees.”
After the statutory two-year cooling-off period has expired, Scheifele will stand as a candidate for the supervisory board of HeidelbergCement in 2022 to become its chairman. “The intention to take over the chairmanship of the supervisory board by Dr. Scheifele will ensure continuity for the sustainable success of HeidelbergCement,” said Heckmann.
