LafargeHolcim has expanded Magali Anderson’s role to chief sustainability and innovation officer, effective March 2021, putting sustainability at the core of the company’s innovation pipeline. Anderson has been a member of the group executive committee since October 2019, when she was appointed chief sustainability officer.
In this expanded position, Anderson takes on the leadership and development of the company’s global R&D strategy and organization, as well as external innovation collaborations from academia to start-ups.
“I am delighted to appoint Magali as our chief sustainability and innovation officer. Under her leadership, we opened a new chapter in our climate action with our net zero pledge and growing range of green building solutions, from ECOPact to Ecolabel,” said Jan Jenisch, LafargeHolcim CEO. “Sustainability is a game-changer in our industry and innovation is the most effective catalyst to scale up our impact. By aligning our Sustainability and Research and Development organizations under Magali’s direction, I look forward to stepping up our pace and pipeline of innovation to build a net zero future.”
In September 2020, LafargeHolcim announced its net zero pledge, setting itself the most ambitious climate objectives in the industry, validated by Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Pursuing its rigorous science-based approach, LafargeHolcim is currently working with SBTi to set the industry’s first benchmark for aligning climate goals to a 1.5°C future for cement. Upon completion of this work, the company will publish its first climate transition report in 2022.
“I am very proud of how quickly we are advancing on our net zero journey,” Anderson said. “We have always taken a rigorous and science-driven approach to sustainability. It’s a natural next step for us to put innovation and sustainability under one roof to shift from incremental to exponential impact. By working even more closely with colleagues across our six innovation centers worldwide, researchers across our global network, and our growing list of external partners, from MIT to ETH, I am committed to move even faster on our climate action.”
LafargeHolcim’s commitment to sustainability and innovation includes investing in XtreeE, a French start-up specializing in large-scale 3D printing; acquiring a stake in Swiss start-up CPC AG to produce concrete elements using prestressed carbon fibers as reinforcement; and being a founding member of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium.
