José María Barroso Ramírez, CEO of Cemento Moctezuma, has been appointed as the new president of Mexico's cement association, Canacem, for 2024-25. He succeeds Jaime Hill Tinoco, CEO of Holcim México.

Mr Barroso has more than 40 years of cement industry experience, having served previously as commercial director at Cemento Montezuma and more than 30 years at CEMEX. He graduated from the Instituto Tecnológico de Mérida, Yucatán, with a degree in industrial engineering and olds a Master's Degree in International Trade from ITESM-IMCE.

As president of Canacem, Barroso Ramírez faces challenges such as nearshoring, inflation and the industrial sector's effort to absorb the effects of the phenomenon, as well as actions that promote sustainability standards, in addition to maintaining the sector's dialogue with the Mexican government," said Canacem.

"I am committed to represent the sector and all its members in an honourable way, recognising and positioning cement and concrete as the best option for construction and infrastructure, with a focus on reducing the environmental impact of the industry's operations," said Mr Barroso.