Cement firm Holcim Philippines Inc. has appointed two officers who will handle the company’s sustainability and environment initiatives.
The company appointed Zoe Sibala as senior vice president for sustainability. It also expanded the role of Richard Cruz, the company’s current vice president for health, safety and security, to include the environment portfolio.
“Having senior leaders focused on these will help us achieve our goal of leading the building materials industry in resource efficiency, environmental stewardship, health and safety, and corporate social responsibility. We are confident that Zoe and Richard will further fast-track sustainability initiatives so we can be a stronger partner of the Philippines in building progress,” Horia Adrian, the company’s president and CEO, said.
As head of strategy since 2017, Sibala helped craft Holcim to expand its business amid a more competitive market environment. She held leadership roles in finance, strategy and business development in legacy Lafarge Philippines’ aggregates unit, which was acquired by Holcim in 2015.
Cruz, meanwhile, was appointed to his current post in 2018.
He joined Holcim’s waste management unit Geocycle as laboratory engineer in 2008 and helped it attain Integrated Management System certifications on quality and environment.
Holcim said it is accelerating programs for sustainability and innovation to drive business performance and contribute to building progress in the Philippines.
This year, the company has made investments to improve the energy efficiency of cement production facilities.
The company is helping address the waste management challenge in the country by converting qualified wastes into alternative fuels and raw materials for cement production.
It is also participating in the rehabilitation of the Manila Bay through the Circular Explorer, a solar-powered catamaran sent by the Holcim Group that can collect up to four tons of plastic litter daily.