Cementos Portland Valderrivas appoints new executive chairman

The Board of Directors of Cementos Portland Valderrivas, Spain’s largest cement producer, has approved the appointment of Juan Béjar Ochoa as executive chairman of the group.

Mr Béjar will continue as executive chairman of Globalvia, a 50:50 joint venture between Bankia and FCC. Previously, he was chairman of Citigroup Infrastructure Management, Citigroup's subsidiary responsible for infrastructure asset management, where he raised US$3.4bn for investment in the sector and the subsequent management of those assets.

Prior to working for Citigroup in London, he was managing director of Ferrovial Infraestructuras, and executive vice-chairman and managing director of Cintra (a Ferrovial subsidiary), overseeing the latter company's expansion and IPO, as well as the acquisition of the world's largest toll road, the 407 ETR, in Toronto. Ferrovial's acquisition of BAA also took place during his tenure.

Mr Béjar has extensive experience in the cement industry. He was head of planning and controller at Hisalba, theworld's leading cement company in the 1980s, and later held the post of general manager of UMAR, the international division of Holderbank, currently Holcim.

Mr Béjar (54) will replace the current chairman of the group, Dieter Kiefer, who has held that post since December 2008.