CEMBUREAU, the European cement association, elected Isidoro Miranda, MD of LafargeHolcim Spain, as its new president at its annual general assembly. Ken McKnight, member of the CRH Executive Committee was elected vice-president.

Following his appointment, Isidoro Miranda said: “The foundation has been laid over the past two years and we will build on this. Starting from our innovation agenda and the technical pathways to decarbonisation, we will need to convey our key priorities for a facilitating regulatory framework. There is a host of legislative initiatives coming our direction, many of which are interlinked. But the change will not come from regulators alone – the quest for sustainable products will be driven by the home owner and the developer who will, on their turn, trigger a turn-around with the construction companies.”

CEMBUREAU Vice-President, Ken McKnight, said, “I am excited to be a part of CEMBUREAU’s family once again and look forward to helping drive CEMBUREAU’s agenda over the next few years. With the Green Deal and related legislative files, CEMBUREAU plans to be at the forefront of the EU policy debate, and looks forward to working with all stakeholders to help Europe, and our industry, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.”

The association also thanked outgoing president and former vice-president, Raoul de Parisot, for his leadership and service over the past four years. Mr De Parisot looked back on his term as president, saying:
 “I am proud of what CEMBUREAU has achieved over the past two years, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The historic Roadmap our sector issued in May 2020 has set out our ambition towards carbon neutrality along the cement and concrete value chain by 2050. This “can do” approach has given us credit with policymakers and put the cement sector firmly on the map as a pro-active and constructive voice in the policy debate.”