Lafarge Canada veteran Thibault heads realigned LH Region North America

Sources: LafargeHolcim Ltd., Zurich; CP staff

LafargeHolcim has elevated René Thibault from Western Canada chief executive officer to the post of Head Region North America and Executive Committee member. He succeeds Pascal Casanova, who is leaving the producer after serving as the charter head of post-merger, North American Lafarge and Holcim businesses.

Thibault joined Lafarge Canada in 1989 and has held posts in Canada and France. He will oversee Aggregate Industries, Holcim and Lafarge businesses in the U.S. and Canada as part of a realignment that sees LafargeHolcim cement and downstream operations in Mexico brought under Region Latin America. Concurrent with the Americas moves, LafargeHolcim has appointed Marcel Cobuz as Head Region Europe and Executive Committee member. He has held operational and executive roles in six countries since joining Lafarge Group in 2000, and succeeds Roland Köhler, a 24-year Holcim veteran transitioning to the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction chairmanship.

The LafargeHolcim Board cites adoption of “a more market-focused and agile management organization,” under which the 30 largest country organizations will directly report to the Executive Committee, to be reduced from 10 to nine members. Global Performance & Cost and Growth & Innovation functions will be merged into a new corporate department, Growth & Performance, enabling the company to build a more nimble platform for “Best Demonstrated Practice.” Heading Growth & Performance will be Performance & Cost chief Urs Bleisch, who will remain on the Executive Committee.

“Establishing a market-focused management organization is an important step toward generating an attractive growth profile and taking the company to its next level of performance,” says LafargeHolcim CEO Jan Jenisch. “Strengthening of the profit and loss responsibility of the countries and simplification of global business functions will create a leaner operating model. Countries will be fully empowered and accountable for market strategies, cost discipline and results. The new organization will be complemented by a strengthened performance management system focusing on growth, cash conversion, capital efficiency and people development.”