Management Team
Management Team
Yago Castro Izaguirre
President
Egypt & UAE
As the President, Mr. Izaguirre is leading Cemex operations in Egypt and United Arab Emirates. Previously, Mr. Izaguirre was the Country Manager for Cemex Jamaica & Bahamas/MD Caribbean Cement Company. In charge of the company’s operations in Jamaica & Bahamas, he contributed remarkably to shaping the cement and ready-mix industry as well as the development of the housing and infrastructure construction sectors in these countries. Prior to this, Mr. Izaguirre was the Head of Cemex businesses in Barbados & Guyana/Arawak Cement Co. Formerly, accumulating over 18 years of experience, he held several positions within Cemex such as the Strategic & Financial Planning Director in Nicaragua, Guatemala & Salvador, and Business Development Director of Cemex Spain and many others. Mr. Izaguirre graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Complutense University of Madrid, followed by an Executive Master’s in Business from IE Business School in Madrid.
Carlos Palero
Cement Operations and Technical Vice President
Since joining Cemex in 1999, Mr. Carlos Palero held several executive positions in Cement Operations in Mexico, Central, and South America, Asia, and Africa. He started his professional career as a Process Manager. Throughout his career, he has been appointed to several diverse positions such as Quality Manager, Plant Director, Operations Director for Panama and Cartagena, Plant Director at Caracolito, Colombia Operations VP, and EMEA Operations VP. Mr. Palero was previously a member of the board at TCL group from 2014 – 2016. He has also participated in several Post Merge Integrations for the RMC acquisition and due diligence in South America. Mr. Carlos Palero graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electromechanical Engineer from Universidad Panamericana Lean Manufactory Black Belt, followed by a Master of Business Administration Degree from Tecnologico de Monterrey.
Tarek Hammam
Vice President Commercial and Logistics
Egypt
As the Commercial and Logistics Vice President, Mr. Hammam is responsible for the commercial and marketing strategy for cement at CEMEX Egypt. He is also responsible for the logistics operations, warehouse network and the multi-products business. Mr. Hammam held prior executive positions where he was the Vice President of Institutional Sales & Ready Mix responsible for ready mix operations as well as construction services for multiple customer segments which include builders/developers, government, and industrial manufacturers. Mr. Hammam joined CEMEX Egypt in 2002, and for the past 15 years he was appointed a number of positions mainly in the areas of commercial and ready mix where he capitalized on his vast experience in the building materials industry to contribute to the progress of CEMEX operations in Egypt. Prior to his current position, Mr. Hammam was the Sales Director of Lower Egypt Distribution Channels, External Markets and Damietta Terminal mainly in charge of setting the selling strategies, handling the exports of CEMEX Egypt, and exploring business opportunities in the Northern African region. Before this he served as a Technical and Area Sales Manager responsible for all the construction companies and real estate developers in Egypt as well as a set of CEMEX retail channels in Egypt. Mr. Tarek Hammam holds an MBA from Maastricht School of Management (MSM) in Netherlands and a BSc in Civil Engineering from Cairo University.
Alejandro Garcia Cogollos
Strategic Planning Vice President
Egypt & UAE
As of his position, Mr. Garcia is responsible for strategic planning and business development for both Egypt and United Arab Emirates. He first joined CEMEX in 1999, and since then and for the past 23 years Mr. Garcia has been assigned various positions in the fields of strategic planning and business service organization. Previous to his current position, Mr. Garcia was the Strategic Planning Vice President of CEMEX Philippines, and prior to that he was the Strategic Planning and Administration Director for the UAE. Mr. Garcia holds an MBA from the Escuela de Administración de Empresas (EAE) of Barcelona (Spain) and a BS in Management and Business Administration by the Universidad Carlos III in Madrid (Spain).
Marwa Youssef
Procurement Director
Egypt & UAE
As the Procurement Director, Mrs. Marwa Youssef is leading the procurement team to secure and facilitate the company’s needed supply of Fuels, Alternative Fuels and Raw Material, utilization of capital expenditure and logistical processes as well as sourcing for business related services and corporate needs. Mrs. Youssef and her team made CEMEX Egypt a highly cost-efficient business unit and the one with the highest quality materials in a timely manner which contributed to the continuous growth of CEMEX Egypt. Mrs. Youssef is also responsible for constantly coordinating with both the regional and global teams to avail supply alternatives for the company and its operations. Since she joined CEMEX in 2005, Mrs. Youssef worked in the finance department. She was assigned to various position including Treasury and Financial Information & Risk Management. Mrs. Youssef worked closely with business unit Finance and provided support to CEMEX Egypt businesses in a manner consistent with the objectives of CEMEX group. Her responsibilities related to tracking and accounting for company assets and investment projects in compliance with IFRS company policies and statutory requirements ensured reducing risk by complying to approvals and asserting that controls are intact. Mrs. Youssef is a Euromoney Certified Treasury Manager holding a BSc in Commerce – English Section from Ain Shams University
Wafik Beshara
Human Resources Vice President
Egypt & UAE
As the Vice President of Human Resources, Mr. Wafik Beshara is in charge of the Human Resources development and training, compensation and benefits, and labor relations, as well as the health, safety & security at CEMEX Egypt and United Arab Emirates. Since he joined CEMEX in 2001, Mr. Beshara was assigned several leading positions that enriched his career and outstandingly supported the operations of CEMEX in Egypt. Prior to his current role he was appointed executive positions in the areas of Strategic Planning, Marketing Research and Commercial Administration. Mr. Wafik Beshara holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School in Scotland and a BSc in Computer Engineering from the Arab Academy for Science and Technology.
Mohamed Zeid
Business Service Organization Director
Egypt & UAE
As Business Service Organization Director Mr. Zeid is responsible for management and financial services, transactional services, treasury, internal control, and HR services. Prior to his role, Mr. Zeid served as the Fulfillment Centers Finance Manager for Amazon Egypt & KSA. Mr. Zeid started his professional career Cemex in 2011 where he held several positions including Management & Financial Service Manager for Egypt & UAE, Regional Strategic Planning Manager for AMEA & Egypt as well as Financial Planning Advisor for Cemex Egypt. Mr. Zeid holds an Accounting Bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Commerce, Assiut University in Egypt.
Zeinab Hegazy
Communication, Public Affairs & Sustainability Director
Egypt & UAE
Mrs. Zeinab Hegazy is the Director of Communication, Public Affairs & Sustainability for Egypt & UAE. She is also in charge of social impact and community programs. Mrs. Hegazy joined Cemex in 2001, and since then, she was appointed to several diverse positions mainly in Accounting, Internal Audit, and business processes. Prior to her current position, Mrs. Hegazy built progressive experience in Human Resources where she shaped the compensation scheme at Cemex and contributed to developing human capital including talent management & succession planning. She is an Associate to the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development in United Kingdom (ACIPD), a founding member in Human Power Association (HPA) and Co-Chairperson of the PR/International Relations Committee, a founding member in the Egyptian Mexican Business Council, an Executive Board Member at Assiut Cement Company and the official spokesperson for the company. Additionally, Mrs. Hegazy has been recognized as one of the most influential women in Africa in the construction business by CEO Global for 2 consecutive years (2018 / 2019). She was also named as one of the Top 30 women in Africa Cement Industry in 2020. Mrs. Hegazy holds a bachelor's in commerce – English Section from Ain Shams University. Following her graduation & prior to Cemex, she worked in KPMG for 2 years.
Ahmed Emad
Ready Mix & Urbanization Solutions Director
Egypt
As his current position as Ready Mix & Urbanization Solutions Director, Mr. Emad is responsible for construction chemicals, concrete, and cement admixtures as well as the concrete pavement businesses in Egypt. He has more than ten years of experience in the construction industry. Mr. Emad joined CEMEX in 2015, and since then, he served in several departments such as; Commercial, Procurement, and Corporate Negotiations Departments. Prior to this, Mr. Emad worked at Lafarge Holcim where he served as a Technical Sales Engineer and a VAP Demonstrator before it. Mr. Emad holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Ain Shams University followed by a Supply chain diploma from the American University in Cairo.
Hosam Tharwat
Health & Safety Director
Egypt & UAE
As Health & Safety Director for Cemex Egypt & UAE, Mr. Tharwat is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing health and safety policies and procedures in Egypt & UAE’s workplaces while also coordinating health & safety for Cemex's supply chain and procurement functions across the EMEA region. He started his career at Cemex Egypt more than 20 years ago in 2000 as a quality control specialist. Over the years, he held various leadership positions in operations, sustainability, and health & safety. Mr. Tharwat earned his MBA from ESLSCA Business School in 2012, majoring in global management, in addition to participating in numerous training programs on lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and health & safety management. In 2018, he was appointed as Health & Safety Director for Cemex Egypt where he led efforts to improve safety culture and performance, and as of 2020, he has been assigned the scope of UAE as well. Mr. Tharwat is certified as an ISO 45001 Lead Auditor by DNVGL.
Amal El-Beih
Vice President Legal
Egypt & UAE
As the legal Vice President, Mrs. El-Beih is responsible for the strategic legal management, leading compliance, as well as intellectual property management for Cemex Egypt & UAE. Previously, Mrs. El-Beih held several positions across 15-year-career at Saint-Gobain such as Country Legal Manager with the latest position being Senior Legal Manager of Egypt, KSA, & Kuwait JVs where she contributed remarkably to the business strategy and decision-making processes of the organization within Egypt and the Middle East region. Prior to this, Mrs. El-Beih gained 10 years of professional experience in different law firms where she started her career. Mrs. El-Beih graduated with LL.B from Faculty of Law, English Section from Cairo University followed by a L.L.M Laws master's degree in Legal Commercial Transactions and Logistics from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport in Egypt.