St. Ingbert, Saarland, Germany
I am proud to look back on five years of building Etex's Sustainability Road 2030. Sustainability is now part of Etex's DNA. From the first ESG rating to the first sustainability reports and a profound decarbonisation strategy, the last few years have brought a wealth of knowledge, new experience and many valuable people who have made this journey possible. Since April I am now (again) leading the global Gypsum Resources activities of the Etex Group.
After 6 years as Head of Gypsum Resources I started a new challenge as first Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility incorporates ethical values into the business to promote standards for human rights, labour practices, the environment, fair operating practices, customer and consumer issues, community involvement and development. The key priorities will focus on managing our asbestos past, environment ans sustainability, employee engagement and community relation.
The role as Head of Gypsum Resources covers all strategic and operational aspects to secure the long-term gypsum supply of ETEX worldwide.
The role as MD of PSS International GmbH, our family owned business, covered Strategy, Sales and Marketing. The sales activity in the fields of the oil&gas and chemical industry covered all continents with main activities in Brazil, Asia and Middle East. The engagement with PSS was to support the transition to the next generation. of our family.
The role of Industrial Director covered the responsibility for 3 manufacturing plants in Bristol, the largest plasterboard factory of Lafarge in Europe (plasterboard, cove, laminating products), Ferrybridge (plasterboard) and Frampton (plaster, compounds). In this time we build and started the Ferrybridge plant on a brown field, integrated the Frampton plant into the Bristol activities and started an inhouse recycling facility. I was responsible for in total 280 people.
With the take over of the Belgium Gyproc activities in Germany the role as plant manager in the plasterboard plant in Hartershofen focussed on the integration and cultural management process into the Lafarge network. In this time we moved and integrated the workshop for prefabricated plasterboard products, PLATEC, Neunkrichen/Saar, into the Harteshofen plant, build a training and customer center, established a renewable energy concept installing 8000 solar panels and opened a natural trail around the gypsum quarries to demonstrate the link and balance between gypsum mining activities and an engineered sustainable environment programme.
Starting as environmental engineer, I took over the assistance role of the CEO also supporting the Group communication team. The last four years I was responsible for the contract management for the oil and gas storaging activities in 42 underground salt caverns with a contract volume of around 350 m€/yr.