Donal O’Riain is the Founder and Group Managing Director of Ecocem. As a consultant he developed an interest in the carbon footprint of the concrete industry and following this passion in 2000, he founded Ecocem and has built it into the Europe’s leading low carbon cement technology and production business. Donal is passionate about the power of innovation to reduce the carbon footprint of the cement industry and continues to pursue this goal.

Prior to Ecocem, Donal ran his own consultancy business specialising in cementitious materials and previously held senior management positions with KPMG, CRH plc. and Steetley/Redland plc.

Donal is fluent in French and English. He is married and has three adult sons. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring Paris with his family, playing tennis, and cycling.

“The problem is not technology, we can move rapidly to a 50% reduction of global CO2 emissions from cement as early as 2030 but we need to act fast and as an industry, we need to act together.”

Conor O’Riain is the Managing Director of Ecocem’s European business. He has a background in Sales and Marketing and has held a number of senior positions in the publishing and events industries. He joined Ecocem in 2006 ignited by the passion of the Ecocem team to make a difference and the scale of the challenge facing the cement industry. His focus is on operationalising Ecocem’s Innovation and R&D capability to deliver both product and technology driven partnerships that can scale the impact and availability of Ecocem’s low carbon cement capability and radically reduce the industry’s emissions.

Conor is on the Board of Board of Network Irlande (a French Irish Chamber of Commerce).

“It feels good to get up in the morning knowing you are making a positive difference to the health of our World.”

Eoin is Ecocem’s Corporate Development Director. He joined the business in 2021 to lead the corporate development team, covering corporate and financial strategy, planning, funding, public affairs, and promotion.

Eoin has over fifteen years’ experience structuring complex joint venture and private equity investment transactions across Europe and the US, in industries ranging from real estate, clean infrastructure and tech.

Before he joined Ecocem, Eoin held a number of roles including Vice President at WP Carey, a $18bn real estate investor, a Managing Director at VTS, a multinational technology company, and was an ExCo member at U+I plc. Eoin studied engineering and maths at Trinity College, Dublin and holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

“At Ecocem, we are at the vanguard of what is possible with low carbon cement technologies. Given the rapid changes happening throughout the industry, that’s an exciting place to be.”

Gavin O’Riain is Executive Director at Ecocem. He joined the business in 2017 and now manages the day-to-day operations across all business units with a particular focus on the drive to commercialise innovation technologies for the Group. He previously worked in international management and business development in the telecoms industry within emerging economies (EMEA & Latin America).

“Technology is what will change our industry and drive real reductions in emissions. At Ecocem I have the opportunity to help make that change a reality.”

Garry is the Group Finance Director and joined Ecocem in 2009. Garry is a Chartered Accountant and responsible for all aspects of the groups financial management and reporting. Before he joined Ecocem, Garry worked for Veolia Transport (now known as Transdev) as a Finance Director for the Asia Pacific region and then as a Development Director for Germany.

“Ecocem’s mission to significantly reduce the CO2 impact of cement is very important to me. Being part of this team where everyone is motivated by this ambition makes a real difference to my working life.”

Olivier is Managing Director responsible for strategy, new business, and technology at Ecocem. He joined Ecocem in 2022 and is responsible for overseeing all group strategy and development of new business with a focus on developing ACT, Ecocem’s ground-breaking low carbon cement technology. His focus is on partnering with the cement and concrete industry to accelerate the adoption of low carbon cement technologies and halve industry emissions by 2030.

Before joining Ecocem, Olivier held senior positions in LafargeHolcim (now Holcim Group) in France and Algeria, and led its cement operations in France from 2015 to 2021.

“The cement industry needs to decarbonise rapidly. At Ecocem we have the opportunity and the technology to work with the industry to accelerate this change.”

Roberta is Ecocem’s Research and Development Director and is responsible for the company’s innovation pipeline, new product and technology development, and managing its dedicated innovation centre in Paris. She has over 20 years’ experience in R&D, innovation, market and application development at cement and constructions materials companies.

Before joining Ecocem, Roberta held several R&D roles at the at the CTG-Italcementi Group. Most recently she was Group R&D manager responsible for Mortars, Premix and New Cement-based Materials.

Roberta holds a Chemistry Degree, a PhD in Materials Engineering. In her career to date she has been responsible for over 26 patents and has written more than 20 scientific publications in the building chemistry.

“I saw the huge carbon challenge facing our industry and at Ecocem I have the opportunity to develop and deliver new low carbon solutions that can make a real difference.”

Micheál is Director of Strategic Operations at Ecocem, responsible for strategic supply chain and procurement. He is particularly focussed on Ecocem’s latest technology ACT. He joined the team in 2016 as Managing Director of the Irish and UK operations and three years later became Managing Director of Ecocem’s Northern European business.

Previously Micheál spent fifteen years working in the construction industry. The opportunity to tackle the carbon challenge and make a real difference to the industry meant his decision to join Ecocem was an easy one.

“The ambition of our team to lead industry change from a carbon perspective is what makes Ecocem a great place to work.”

John Reddy is Quality and Innovation Application Manager for the Ecocem Group. In this role he is responsible for leading the Quality Team across all of Ecocem’s operations. He also plays a key role in bringing Ecocem’s innovation projects to market, responsible for ensuring all aspects of quality and technical excellence from raw materials to processes and developing concrete technologies that support the construction industry’s drive to Net Zero.

John is a third-generation concrete enthusiast and his first exposure to the world of concrete was at the age of three, helping his father who was a concrete technician.  He joined Ecocem in 2004 when the environment was only beginning to become a focus for the construction industry and over the last 20 years has seen the business evolve from a startup to become Europe’s low carbon cement technology business.

John is a chartered Engineer and holds degrees in computer science, civil engineering and an MSC in Advanced Concrete Technology. He is a regular speaker at international symposia and has published several international research papers. John is currently Vice President of the Institute of Concrete Technology.

“I joined Ecocem as a start up with a mission I believed in and that remains true today. We have a real opportunity to make a positive difference to our world in the face of global warming. Ecocem has given me a tremendous opportunity over the years to grow, develop and contribute. The company culture, with its focus on innovation, development and commitment to local communities, is hugely important to me. Our values are present in all aspects of our work and after nearly 20 years I remain motivated and energised by the company’s success, mission, and ambitions.”

Christian Clergue is Ecocem’s European Standards Manager, responsible for ensuring the smooth transfer and implementation of our technologies and new products from R&D to our production facilities and to those of our partners and clients. Christian is driving our efforts to accelerate the standardisation process for our innovative low carbon cements and technologies, which will be instrumental in helping the industry meeting the 2030 decarbonisation deadline.

Christian brings deep expertise in cement and concrete materials, including low-carbon concrete, and in particular the regulations, standards and norms that govern the industry.

Christian Clergue holds a PhD in the physics of materials. Previously he held positions at VICAT Cement Group as Laboratory Head Manager, Precast General Manager, R&D Concrete Manager, Serge Ferrari as Head R&D Manager and most recently at EIFFAGE Genie Civil Group as Innovation Manager where he focused on carbon footprint reduction and the use of Eco Design to applied sustainable products.

“Ecocem has demonstrated its commitment to innovation and low carbon cement technologies for over twenty years. At a time when the industry is asking for urgent answers to the CO2 challenge, I am excited by the opportunity to make a real contribution to working with partners to make low carbon cement at scale a reality.”

Brenda Bates is Ecocem’s Head of Brand and Corporate Communications. She joined the business in 2022 and is responsible for all aspects of the business’s brand, communications, and engagement.

Her career has spanned a diverse range of sectors including international financial services, the global gold industry, regeneration, and property development. She also spent some years in the agency and consulting worlds where she worked with a range of clients on privatisations, flotations, and M&A.

“It’s not often you get the chance to change the world for the better in any job and joining Ecocem has given me exactly that. Our innovation and track record has the potential reduce CO2 emissions at scale in Europe by 2030.”

Clive is Ecocem’s Group Project Director and joined Ecocem in 2013. He has over 30 years’ experience in the procurement, design, and construction of major projects. He is responsible for all aspects of permitting, design, procurement, and construction of Ecocem’s plants. He has delivered multiple projects for Ecocem, including the VRM plant at Dunkerque (France) and Roller Press at Moerdijk (The Netherlands).

Clive is a Chartered Engineer who qualified from Trinity College Dublin with a degree in Engineering and post graduate Diplomas in Project Management & Construction Law. He qualified from Duke University executive management programme in 2011. He is a regular lecturer on the Trinity College Dublin post graduate diploma in Project Management.

“I am passionate about solving problems and Ecocem’s mission to tackle the unique challenges presented by climate change.”

Gary is Ecocem’s IT Director and is responsible for the company’s group wide IT strategy. He has over 30 years’ experience providing leadership and IT solutions to organisations across a wide range of sectors.

Before joining Ecocem Gary held several senior IT management roles across sectors including Education, Manufacturing, Healthcare and Video Games. Most recently he was Regional Director of IT Governance with Pernod Ricard.

Gary holds a Computer Science degree, and a master’s degree in operations management.

“Great technology can deliver great results. Ecocem’s low carbon cement technologies can make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and our IT strategy is an essential part of making our ambitions for the cement sector a reality.” 

Paul leads Ecocem’s Benelux operations and joined the business in 2022. Before joining Ecocem, Paul worked for over twenty years in the chemical industry in various roles including sales, supply chain, operations, general management, and P&L management.

“At Ecocem we are tackling one of world’s most difficult and important problems. Working as part of an agile team, change and innovation are expected if we are to succeed in reducing emission in the cement industry.”

Susan leads Ecocem’s UK and Irish operations. A Chartered Civil Engineer, Susan joined Ecocem in 2012 and has had a variety of roles. Susan was appointed as Managing Director of the Irish business in 2020. Prior to this Susan led the Ecocem’s sustainability strategy across Europe.

An advocate for sustainability in construction and women in engineering, Susan is involved in a number of committees and divisions in the Institute of Engineers Ireland and represents the Institute on the Sustainability Cross Action committee within the Construction Sector Group in the Department of Expenditure. In 2022, Susan was appointed to the steering committee of Construct Innovate, the National Centre for Research in Construction.

“Working for a company with real purpose is essential for me. Ecocem’s determination to play a part in reducing the emissions of our industry is what drives me every day.”

Steve Bryan is Managing Director of Ecocem Americas, Ecocem’s North American operations. He is also responsible for business development outside of Western Europe. He joined Ecocem in 2013, bringing with him over 35 years of experience in cement operations, technology, global trading, strategic planning, and business development.

“Ecocem’s low carbon technology and products can make a real difference to reducing the cement industry’s emission globally.”

Jennifer joined Ecocem in 2023 as Head of People and Culture. She brings over fifteen years’ experience in high-growth Irish-owned companies with global ambitions. Jennifer is CIPD qualified, with extensive expertise across consultancy, technology and fintech sectors. She is passionate about embedding a great workplace ethos and developing culture that delivers a positive employee experience and company objectives.

“As a mother to two young girls, I want to leave a better world for my children and working at Ecocem means I can contribute to that.”