PCA appoints new chair and vice chair

Portland Cement Association (PCA) has announced new leadership for its board of directors. Massimo Toso has been elected chairman of the PCA. Mr Toso is the current president and CEO at Buzzi Unicem USA and has served the last year as vice chair to former PCA Chairman Filiberto Ruiz. Monica Manolas is PCA’s new vice chair and the first woman in the 21st century to be elected to the position. Ms Manolas currently serves as president of Ash Grove East.

Also at the meeting, Jorge Wagner, CEO of Votorantim Cimentos North America, and Kahraman Senvardarli, president of Cimsa Americas Cement Manufacturers and Sales Corporation, were elected to the PCA board of directors.

“As I assume the role of chair in this pivotal moment, let our leadership unite in a shared commitment,” said Mr Toso. “Together, as the cement industry, we must confirm our goal to be part of the carbon reduction programme defined by the PCA Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality and be sure that cement and concrete will remain the most resilient and sustainable construction materials in the market.”

Vice Chair Ms Manolas added, “With the PCA zero-carbon roadmap as a guide, and the exciting opportunities in this golden age of construction, I am both honoured and excited to be elected as the first woman vice chair of PCA in the twenty-first century. I am committed to helping our communities build a more resilient world with a strong and sustainable cement and concrete industry.”

“The cement industry has been laser-focused on sustainability, and although our association membership consists of competitors, it is unified in the belief that getting to carbon neutrality should be this industry’s top objective,” said Mike Ireland, PCA president and CEO. “Massimo and Monica are exemplary industry leaders who have forward-thinking initiatives established at some of their company cement plants and are eager to implement more. They are the right people at this time to push PCA closer to its goal of a carbon neutral future.”