WCA Annual Conference 2024

Mr. Ali Emir Adiguzel, a distinguished luminary in the realm of global cement industry. With a remarkable career spanning over 30 years, Mr. Adiguzel has left an indelible mark, demonstrating profound expertise in international cement business and visionary leadership.

Former Global CEO, Heidelberg Materials Group International Trade (HCT).

As the global CEO of HCT, Mr. Adiguzel played a pivotal role in the group's international expansion and strategic development. HC Trading Group is a leading international company in cement sector with turnover of US$2 Billion

Executive Chairman, ACG Consultancy Group, Mr. Adiguzel leads the ACG Consultancy Group, specializing in international mergers and acquisitions within the cement sector. With a multi-national team based in Switzerland, Belgium, Turkey, and Dubai, ACG also provides top-tier consulting services on a global scale.

Ali Emir Adiguzel's career has revolved around mid to large-sized industrial organizations in the heavy building construction materials sector, with a particular focus on cement and concrete. His profound knowledge and international business acumen set him apart as a visionary industry executive.

He has held significant roles as Chairman, CEO, and Board member in leading cement companies across global markets, including Akcansa in Turkey, Indocement in Indonesia, and Hanson Spain, HC Israel, Union Cement United Arab Emirates, HeidelbergCement Germany, CBR Belgium.

A graduate of Harvard Business School, Mr. Adiguzel is an internationally recognized speaker within the cement industry. With a wealth of insights and expertise, he has captivated audiences at conferences and forums globally, enriching the collective knowledge of the industry. As an MMS certified executive management coach specializing in C-level leadership development, he is committed to fostering excellence in leadership within the cement industry.

Nearly 30-year experiences in intelligence, digitalization and strategic management.

Rich overseas working experiences.

Forward-looking strategic visions.

Outstanding leadership in digitalization, and abundant experiences in smart manufacturing and industrial internet.

Built the world's first “lighthouse factory” in the building materials industry.

Participated in the construction and evaluation of many national digitalization projects and the development of industry digitalization standards.

Have been committed to the digital transformation of large SOEs over the past decade.

Planner, leader, builder and witness of the intelligent and digital development of China Resources Building Materials Technology Holdings Limited.

After graduating as a Process Engineer, Farah completed a Ph.D Thesis in the Oil and Gaz field with the French Institute of Petroleum (IFP). Her thesis subject was “kinetic understanding and modeling of carbon dioxide absorption in alkanolamine solutions for optimizing the design of absorption units”. She continued in the Petrochemical industry through an experience in designing and commissioning furnaces and exchangers for Heurtey Petrochem. Then she worked for Saudi ARAMCO (in Saudi Arabia).

Farah embraced the cement and mineral industry when joining Fives FCB in 2015 as a technical project manager. She was involved in the execution of projects in particular in Central and Latin America. She is now in charge of the Asia region within Fives FCB’s commercial department as a sales engineer since 2022.

Samar Gurung, the Head of Trading at Aastar Trading and a pivotal figure within KPN Corp, is widely lauded for his exceptional leadership in global markets. With an impressive annual trading volume of approximately 6 million tons, Samar's strategic expertise and extensive 25-year background in international trade have driven the group to unparalleled success. His forward-thinking approach to accessing critical markets and platforms has expanded the company's reach and cemented its position as an industry leader.



Furthermore, with a wealth of knowledge in international bulk shipping and solid fuels enhances his ability to navigate complex market dynamics and drive profitable outcomes for the organization. His comprehensive understanding of these sectors enables him to consistently deliver innovative solutions and strategic insights, solidifying his reputation as a visionary leader in the world of trading.



Despite his professional achievements, Samar remains deeply committed to his role as a devoted father of two children. In his leisure time, he enjoys indulging in hobbies such as golf, snowboarding, and motor racing, which underscore his diverse interests and passion for adventure.

Zheng Jianhui is the Chief Analyst at China Cement Net. He is the head of the Cement Big Data Research Institute and an expert of the cement industry think tank. For over a decade, he has been dedicated to the economic research and analysis of the cement and bulk building materials industry. He has successfully predicted the operational trends of the cement industry multiple times. He is also a contributor to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission's policies and economic operation analysis for the cement and building materials industry. He has long undertaken commissioned projects from ministries, commissions, and enterprises. Additionally, he is the lead compiler of the "Annual Report on Cement and Ready-Mixed Concrete."

M.D. of Environmental Economics, Renmin University of China
MBA, Tsinghua University

Diversified Experience of Carbon Trading and Management since 2007, expert in Allowance and Offset Product Trading in European Carbon Market and China Carbon Market. Career Role including:

- Business Development Director, EcoSecurities Group Plc, subsidiary of JP Morgan

- GM of YEIG Carbon Management Co.,ltd, carbon trade platform of Yunnan Provincial Energy Group.

- Co-Head of Mercuria China Carbon Origination and Management.

Zhao Liang, professorate senior engineer, assistant of China National Building Materials Technology and Equipment Research Institute, graduated from the State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He has been engaged in the research of carbon lower technology for cement industry for a long term, and is leading the research of cement burning system, online carbon monitoring, alternative fuel technology , carbon utilization technology, etc. He has won the first prize of China Building Materials Federation for scientific and technological progress, the second prize of Tianjin Municipal Scientific and Technological Progress, the first prize of China Building Materials Group for scientific and technological progress, and has issued 18 national invention patents.

Mr. Mersmann holds a Dipl.-Ing.-degree of the Technical University of Aachen (RWTH), Germany and has more than 25 years experience in the cement industry. Throughout these years he has always been intensively working on technical innovation and optimization of machines and processes for the production of cement. Starting his business career as a pyro-process engineer with KHD in 1994, he then took on several management positions within KHD which gave him profound insight into all aspects of equipment engineering. 2008 he left KHD to found aixergee GmbH, an independent consultancy serving the international cement industry, which he directed till 2020. From 2010 till 2018 he was called into the executive committee of Loesche GmbH as its technical Director. Returning back to KHD in 2020, Mr. Mersmann is responsible for R&D, innovation and technology of products and services.

Damian Reilly is extremely experienced in Cement manufacturing, having worked in the industry for 35 years, with six different career promotions in the same progressive cement manufacturer, Mannok.

Damian started as a Control Room Operator in 1988 at Quinn Cement (now Mannok) and three years later progressed to Shift Supervisor. The plant, at that time in Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland (NI), was a newly FCB constructed plant with an output of 1450 tpd clinker.

In 2000, Mannok’s production moved from the NI based plant to a newly built 3600 tpd facility, supplied by FLSmidth, just across the Irish border in Co. Cavan, Republic of Ireland (ROI), and Damien worked with the team who helped commission the new plant.

In 2001, Damian received further promotion as he began to manage the preventative maintenance of the new plant in Cavan along with the day-to-day running of the bagging plant in Fermanagh. Two years later, Damian’s responsibilities expanded to quarry material selection and the development of a state-of-the-art bagging facility at the ROI site

Ian Riley is CEO of the World Cement Association and holds several board and advisory positions with companies involved in climate action and climate tech.

Previously Ian was China Country Head for Holcim. From 2006 to 2014 Ian was a member of the Huaxin Cement management team, with responsibilities including international business, corporate strategy, business development, sustainability and equipment manufacture. Ian was responsible for Huaxin’s first overseas venture in Tajikistan.

Before joining the cement industry, Ian worked in construction and industrial minerals in China, the UK, the USA, Australia and Japan. Ian Is a graduate of Cambridge University.

Master degree in Economics, WWU University in Münster Germany, Saint Marys University in Halifax, Canada

2007-2009 Traineeship

2009 – 2012 – Service Manager Europe

2012 – 2016 – Senior Sales Manager Asia Pacific

2016-2019 – Head of Cement Division Southeast Asia and China, thyssenkrupp Singapore

2020 – 2023 - CEO Asia Pacific, thyssenkrupp Polysius Vietnam

2023 – present – Global Head of Business Development and Sales, thyssenkrupp Polysius Germany

Chairman of The Indonesia Cement Association /
President Director of PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia Tbk – ex Holcim Indonesia

Profile:
• Currently the President Director of a PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia Tbk, a building materials company of SOE group company (SIG), and the President of Indonesia’s Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD).
• Assigned as the Manufacturing Director of a building materials company of SOE group company
for 3 years.
• Assigned as a board member of public listed MNC (Holcim Indonesia), as the Manufacturing Director for 6 years, and as the CEO Office Director & Senior Advisor to CEO for 2.5 years.
• Extensive experiences in cement manufacturing management, business strategy, business development and sustainable development.

Education:
• Master of Business and Administration, SBM ITB, 2019.
• Master of Business and Administration, Aalto Executive Education, Finland, 2019.
• Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, Gadjah Mada University, 1990.

Drawing from a rich background in equipment management in the cement industry, Xu Yue is passionately dedicated to pushing forward the digital and operational improvement of this sector. Ms. Xu Yue also holds multiple leadership roles, including Chairman of Anhui Conch Global Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai Intelligent Quality Technology Co., Ltd, and Anhui Conch ZE Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd, as well as Executive Director and General Manager of Conch Information Technology Engineering Co., Ltd.

Sicai ZHANG has been engaged in the international general contracting of building materials industry for close to 30 years. His long-time working experience with world famous cement giants has given him a broad international perspective and project management skills. He currently serves as Party Secretary, General Manager of CBMI Construction CO., Ltd. He has presided over a number of overseas EPC projects which won the National Quality Engineering Award and Luban Award. In 2000, he participated in the building of Lafarge Cement Plant in Dujiangyan, the first cement EPC project in China. In 2003, as the first Chinese project manager to enter the international cement EPC market in North Africa, he was in charge of CAT cement line project in Tunisia. In 2005, as the first Chinese project manager to enter the EPC market of building materials industry in Western countries, he took charge of the slag grinding plant project in Bordeaux, France. He was awarded the Knowledge-based Professional among CSOEs, and the First Prize of Management Modernization Innovation Achievement among National Building Materials Enterprises in 2018. He has been granted with 8 utility model patents by State Intellectual Property Office, 5 software copyright patents and several scientific and technological achievements of Hebei Province.​