GCCA appoints Fernando González as new president

Fernando González, CEO of CEMEX, has been elected as the new president of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), succeeding Jan Jenisch. Mr González has been the association’s vice president since 2018 and is seeking to galvanise collective efforts to cut greenhouse emissions, setting out the following priorities for industry and governments:

• take decisive action to phase out fossil fuels and promote the use of alternative fuels by encouraging regulation to divert societal waste from landfill to cement kilns
• enact policies to accelerate the extensive adoption of low-carbon construction products
• establish market-driven carbon pricing mechanisms around the world to incentivise industry to decarbonise and further develop technology focused on reducing emissions
• collaborate and provide funding to develop new technologies to decarbonise manufacturing processes and help speed up the rollout of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage.

Mr González said: “It is a great honour to be president of the GCCA - cement and concrete are the world’s essential building materials. As an industry, we’ve gone beyond the commitment phase to taking decisive action today to reduce our CO₂ emissions.
 
“While we are making important progress today on our 2030 goals, we currently have the opportunity to accelerate even more the pace of our industry’s decarbonisation if we can achieve the right regulatory policies and support from governments around the world. That’s why my number one priority, as the new president of the GCCA, is to collaborate closely with governments and industry to facilitate our roadmap levers.”

Thomas Guillot, CEO of the GCCA, said: “I look forward to working closely with Fernando over the next two years as we advance on our net zero roadmap. I know he is fully committed to achieving our shared goal, and the hard work and commitments that means for our industry. Our industry’s first two presidents were based in Europe and it is a sign of progress that Mr González is our first president from outside the region. His leadership will play an important role in accelerating our industry’s progress.”