Lafarge Africa appoints new group managing director

Lafarge Africa Plc has announced the appointment of Michel Puchercos as its new group managing director/CEO.

A French national, Mr Puchercos has worked in South Korea, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and France and speaks various languages including French, English, Korean, Spanish and Swahili.

He started his career in 1982 at the French Ministry of Agriculture, where he was head of two departments. He left the ministry after seven years to other companies as general manager and executive vice president in the Biochemistry and Food industry.

He joined Lafarge as head, strategy and purchasing in orsan, Lafarge Biochemistry, and in 1998 became director of cement strategy and information systems, Lafarge Gypsum.

In 2003 he became the director of cement strategy, Lafarge Group in France.

In 2005 followed a move into cement operations as the CEO for Lafarge operations in Kenya and Uganda while doubling as the chairman of Tanzania operations. While in this role, he was the head of African Health as well as supply chain management committees for east and southeast Africa.

After four years in sub-Saharan Africa, Mr Purchercos moved to Asia as the president and CEO of Lafarge South Korea, where he remained for seven years. While in this role, he was also a Special Advisor to the chairman as well as a Board Member at Aso Cement in Japan.

Michel is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique and the National School of Rural Engineering, Waterways & Forests, France.