Holcim selects Miljan Gutović as its next CEO

Holcim promoted its Head of the Region Europe and Operational Excellence Miljan Gutović, who will succeed Chief Executive Officer Jan Jenisch on May 1. He graduated in civil engineering and holds a Ph.D. in material sciences and engineering from the University of Technology in Sydney.

Holcim’s Board of Directors appointed Miljan Gutović as CEO. An Australian national, he has been a member of the Group Executive Committee since 2018. Gutović served as Region Head for Europe, Middle East and Africa, followed by the Regional Head Europe and Operational Excellence. As of January 2018, Gutović has been a member of Holcim’s Group Executive Committee.

The global cement maker said that under his leadership, it strengthened its market positions and made decarbonization a driver of profitable growth. Miljan Gutović holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Ph.D. in Material Sciences and Engineering from the University of Technology in Sydney.

Outgoing CEO Jan Jenisch is tasked with seeing through the initial public offering in the US

He will succeed the current CEO Jan Jenisch, who will focus on his role as chairman and will stand for re-election at the annual general meeting in May. Also, the board has tasked Jenisch to lead the planned listing of Holcim’s North America business in the United States.

“I am very pleased that the Board has appointed Miljan as the new CEO of Holcim. He is a highly qualified successor who has played an instrumental role in Holcim’s successful transformation to become the leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions. Miljan has strengthened our business with record profitability in Europe, closing strategic transactions and building winning teams,” Jenisch stated.

Gutović: With decarbonization, advanced technologies, there has never been a more exciting time

Gutović has advanced the company’s use of renewable energy and alternative fuels, expanded low-carbon formulation with innovative low-emission raw materials, accelerated green mobility to improve efficiencies and reduce the environmental impact of logistics, and deployed next-generation technologies, such as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) as well as the digitalization of plants, the announcement reads.

“As a civil engineer who is passionate about the construction industry, Holcim is the best company to be part of. With decarbonization and advanced technologies transforming how we build, there has never been a more exciting time for our sector,” Miljan Gutović said.

He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Cement and Concrete Association. Previously he worked for specialty chemicals company Sika in various management roles.

Three new strategic acquisitions

In its decarbonization push, Holcim, formerly known as LafargeHolcim, developed the ECOCycle circular technology. It was named a Circularity Lighthouse in the Built Environment in a joint initiative between McKinsey and the World Economic Forum, announced at this year’s annual meeting in Davos.

The company, which has more than one hundred ECOCycle recycling centers, said that with its solutions for recycling demolition materials, it can reduce the carbon dioxide footprint of cement by up to 40%. The technology enables concrete, cement and aggregates to contain from 10% to 100% recycled construction demolition materials.

Among other relevant developments, Holcim said last month that it closed three strategic acquisitions. In Spain, it took over a majority stake in Artepref, which develops precast concrete solutions. In Greece, Holcim bought W.A.T.T. Recycling, a waste management company that produces alternative fuels. In addition, it offers solutions for recovering paper, plastics and metals.

The third purchase occurred in the United Kingdom. Holcim entered the advanced mortar solutions market through its acquisition of Eco-Readymix.