New Portland COO gives Lafarge upper hand in succession

Corporate News

Entrance to the East Africa Portland Cement factory in Athi River. PHOTO | FILE 

By VICTOR JUMA, vjuma@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• His appointment comes as Mr Tande’s second term comes to a close, having first been appointed in November 2010 when he took over from John Nyambok, who had fallen out with the board.
• He has previously worked at Lafarge’s local subsidiary, Bamburi Cement, as the group controller.

East African Portland Cement Company has appointed a Lafarge executive as its chief operations officer, giving the French multi-national (and shareholder) an upper hand in the looming succession of current CEO Kephar Tande, whose term ends in October next year.

Portland said it has hired Mr Albert Sigei effective August 24 to head its production operations, supply chain management, sales and marketing.

“The board of directors is pleased to announce that having successfully completed the rigorous interviewing process, Mr Albert Sigei was appointed to the new position of chief operations officer,” the cement maker said in a statement.

READ: Portland Cement renews hunt for chief operating officer

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“This position is key in ensuring continuous improvement of Portland’s operational effectiveness,” the statement added.
Mr Sigei will be based at the company’s Athi River headquarters.

His appointment comes as Mr Tande’s second term comes to a close, having first been appointed in November 2010 when he took over from John Nyambok, who had fallen out with the board. Mr Sigei, 43, has worked in the cement industry for 18 years. He joins Portland from Lafarge Nigeria, where he was the vice-president of business support and ready mix operations.

He has previously worked at Lafarge’s local subsidiary, Bamburi Cement, as the group controller. Prior to this role, he worked within the risk management and financial audit service of PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Nairobi and London.

He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nairobi and is a Chartered Certified Accountant.

“Over nearly two decades, Albert has built an impressive track record of strategic, operational and commercial accomplishments,” said Portland.

“His wealth of experience across the region will be a valuable asset as we continue to accelerate growth through our strategic plan and return Portland to profitability.”

Mr Sigei joins a company in which his former employer, Lafarge, is a significant shareholder with a 41.76 per cent stake.

Portland’s relatively weaker performance, compared to other cement firms, has been linked to boardroom wrangles pitting Lafarge against the government— which controls a 52 per cent stake.