A HeidelbergCement AG Managing Board succession plan will see an early-2020 C suite shift for the North American and European businesses: Jon Morrish, chief executive officer of Texas-based Lehigh Hanson Inc., will head Western and Southern Europe cement, aggregate and concrete operations; successor Chris Ward will transition from his post as Canada Region president. A U.K. native who joined Hanson Plc in 1999, Morrish led the Lehigh Hanson South Region ahead of taking the helm in 2015. Ward has progressed in various management roles since joining Hanson Building Materials America in 1996.
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Topping the succession plan at Heidelberg headquarters, Managing Board Chairman Dr. Bernd Scheifele will vacate his post at the conclusion of a third term, in January 2020, and stand as Supervisory Board chair candidate in 2022. Replacing him will be Managing Board Deputy Chairman Dr. Domink von Achten, whose present responsibilities for the Western and Southern Europe businesses transition to Morrish.
“The changes are part of long-term succession planning,” says HeidelbergCement Supervisory Board Chairman Fritz-Jürgen Heckmann. “Since assuming office in 2005, Dr. Scheifele has decisively shaped the Group and successfully moved it into new dimensions both operationally and strategically. By introducing effective management processes and a lean organization, he significantly increased the competitiveness of HeidelbergCement, propelling us to the forefront of the industry. He has also overseen expansion of our geographic footprint and the scope of our core activities and made HeidelbergCement the leading vertically integrated building materials company globally.”
“We have named a competent and experienced successor as Chairman of the Managing Board from within our own ranks,” adds Dr. Scheifele. “Dr. Dominik von Achten has played a decisive role in the successful integrations of Hanson and Italcementi, and has proven his competencies in managing the Group areas North America and Western and Southern Europe.”