By  Olawunmi Ashafa

The Board of Directors of Dangote Cement Plc has approved the appointment of Indian Mr Arvind Pathak as the Group Managing Director of Dangote Cement Plc, with effect from March 1.

Pathak is a graduate of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

The company disclosed this in a corporate disclosure made available to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. on Thursday.

The corporate disclosure, tagged, “Notification of Retirement of a Director and Appointment of a Director”, was signed by its Acting Company Secretary/General Counsel, Mr Edward Imoedemhe.

Meanwhile, Mr  Michel  Puchercos, after three years, will be retiring from the Board of Directors and as the current Group Managing Director/CEO of Dangote Cement Plc, effective Feb. 28.

Pathak is an experienced business leader who worked as MD and CEO of Birla Corporation Ltd. before this appointment.

Also, he was the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Group Managing Director of Dangote Cement Plc until 2021.

With over 30 years of experience in the cement industry, he has worked most of his tenure in turning around businesses, operations and maintenance of plants, as well as leading important greenfield projects.

“The appointment of Mr  Arvind  Pathak will  be included in the agenda at the next Annual General Meeting for ratification by the shareholders in accordance with the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

“The Board would like to thank Mr Michel Puchercos for his commitment and contributions to the Board and wishes him well in his future  endeavours, while welcoming Mr Arvind Pathak back to the Dangote family and wishing him success in his new role,” the company said. (NAN)