Spain’s cement manufacturers’ association, Oficemen, has appointed Elena Guede as its new executive director, marking the first time a woman has led the organisation.
Guede succeeds Aniceto Zaragoza, who has headed the association for the past 20 years. She brings more than three decades of experience in the cement sector, with a background spanning quality, environment, operations, innovation and sustainability at both national and international level.
She began her career at Cementos Lemona in 1995 and later held corporate roles at Cementos Portland Valderrivas. Following CRH’s acquisition of Cementos Lemona, she was appointed plant manager in 2013, becoming the first woman to lead a cement plant in Spain.
More recently, she held global roles at CRH, including responsibility for quality and, over the past four years, the group’s sustainability and ESG strategy across its international operations.
At Oficemen, Guede is expected to focus on key industry priorities including decarbonisation, circular economy initiatives, innovation and digitalisation, as well as improving sector competitiveness.
“I accept this responsibility with a commitment to contribute, from a long-term perspective, to a period marked by the sector’s transformation and the goal of achieving decarbonisation by 2050,” she said.
