Our People

Song Zhiping

President World Cement Association

Mr Zhiping is Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of China National Building Material Company (CNBM), Chairman of Beijing New Building Materials Group and since May 2019, Chairman of the China Association for Public Companies (CAPCO). Under his leadership both CNBM and Sinopharm were included in the Fortune Global 500 list of the world’s largest companies.

Mr Song is well known in China for developing the “Market Facing State Owned Enterprise” business model and has been recognised for his management and entrepreneurial skills with awards including including China Economic Figure of the Year, Global Chinese Economic Leader, Ishikawa-Kano Award and Fortune CEO Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ian Riley

CEO World Cement Association

After graduating from Cambridge University in 1979, Mr Riley worked in a number of management roles in the UK, the USA, Australia and Japan before moving to China in 1998. He was General Manager of a British project management and consulting firm, based in Shanghai and also Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai before joining Holcim/Huaxin in 2006.

As Huaxin VP responsible for international business, strategy and sustainability, he oversaw Huaxin’s first overseas venture in Tajikistan. Mr Riley was Greater China Country Head for LafargeHolcim from 2014 to 2019.  He has been CEO of WCA since September 1, 2019.

Vincent Lefebvre

Joint Chairman - World Cement Association

Mr Lefebvre is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Cem’In’Eu, an industrial start-up with a new cement production and marketing concept. The company has 7 innovative cement grinding projects at different stages of development in Europe, targeting markets in France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland and the UK.

Before founding Cem’in’EU, he was President of Cimens Kercim, an independent cement grinder in France. From 2010-2013 Mr Lefebvre was CEO of Holcim Spain and before this, country manager of Holcim France. In addition to cement, he has worked in the concrete, aggregates, mortar and construction chemicals fields and has a total of 35 years of construction materials experience.

Cui Xingtai

Joint Chairman - World Cement Association

Cui Xingtai has been Chairman of China United Cement Corporation (CUCC) since 2005. CUCC has nearly 100 subsidiaries in Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, Hebei, Anhui, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Sichuan and Beijing. CUCC has a production capacity of 120 mtpa cement, 150m m3 of concrete and 100 mtpa of aggregates.

Mr Cui has also been Vice President of China National Building Material Co., Ltd. since 2005, its Executive Director since 2009, and Vice Chairman of China Cement Association since 2007. He has more than 35 years of business management experiences in the building materials industry. Mr Cui graduated from Wuhan University of Technology and has an MBA from Tsinghua University.

Mohammed Ali Al-Garni

Director - World Cement Association

Having joined Saudi Cement in 1984, Mohammed Al Garni has been Board Member & CEO since 2010. He is currently Chairman ofaffiliates in Jeddah and Bahrain and amember of Saudi Arabia’s National Cement CompaniesCommittee and the Arab Union for Cement & Building Materials.He was previously Vice Chairman of International Cement in Kuwait.

Saudi Cement was established in 1955, a regional pioneer in high-quality cement, known for its quality products andservices which fulfil both local and international requirements. Saudi Cement has a state-of-the-art export terminal at King Abdulaziz port in Dammam, reliably connected with the 10 mtpa capacity plant by railway.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Suat Çalbiyik

Director - World Cement Association

Suat Çalbiyik, Head of Oyak Cement, Concrete and Paper Group, has 35 years of experience in companies in the cement, steel and energy production sectors. He is Chairman of the Cement Industry Employers Association (CEİS), Vice President of the Turkey Cement Manufacturer’s Association (TCMB) and President of the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation (TÜRKONFED).

Oyak is the largest cement producer and market leader in Turkey with a total production capacity of 22.5mtpa. They also have downstream operations in ready mix concrete and aggregates. The company plays an key role in national markets, developing areas of cement use with the principles of efficiency, creativity and profit-orientation.

Wu Bin

Director - World Cement Association

Wu Bin is General Manager of Anhui Conch. Conch is widely recognised as the world’s most efficient cement company with large scale production, low energy consumption, a high degree of automation, high labour productivity and strong environmental protection. With a capacity of 340 mtpa, Conch is the second largest cement company worldwide. Conch has five plants with more than 10 mtpa clinker capacity and overseas operations in Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

Mr Wu graduated from Anhui Construction Engineering School and joined Conch Group in 1983. In the subsequent 35 years he has gained extensive experience in corporate management and sales & marketing.

Shai Weil

Director - World Cement Association

Dr. Shai Weil is Chairman of Har Tuv Cement, Israel’s second largest cement manufacturer. A prominent executive in Israel and abroad, Dr. Weil is also Chairman of AllCIoud and Enlight Renewable Energy and a member of the Israel Industrial Council. Dr. Weil graduated from Pace University, NY and from Bar Ilan University in Israel.

Har Tuv Cement was founded in 1936 and has a capacity of 850,000 tpa. The cement plant is located near to the main markets of Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Adolphus Ademosu

Director - World Cement Association

Mr. Adolphus Ademosu has been CEO of Cemsierra Cement, Sierra Leone, since 2017. He was the driving force behind the establishment of the company. Previously Mr Ademosu worked for Heidelberg Cement for 13 years in general management and financial management roles.                                                                                                             

Manh Truong Hoang

Director - World Cement Association

Mr Hoang is the Chairman of VissaiNinhBinhCement, Vietnam, which is an economic organisation spanning multiple sectors including the manufacture of cement. Vissai Group’s total cement capacity is 14mtpa, 8mt of which is designated for export.

Vissai continuously strives for strong and sustainable development through its creativity and cooperation. Its cement products are exported to 37 countries globally, including the UAE, UK and Australia.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Dato' Sri Michael Sock Siong Yeoh

Director - World Cement Association

Dato' Sri Michael Yeoh is the Group Managing Director of YTL Cement Malaysia and an Executive Director of YTL Corporation Berhad. 

His academic background lies in civil and structural engineering. 

Under his leadership, YTL Cement has grown from being a local concrete supplier to Malaysia's largest building materials producer with operations in cement, concrete and quarry, as well as a leading regional player. Today, YTL Cement's regional footprint covers China, Singapore, Vietnam and Myanmar.