Holcim and Lafarge select the future Executive Committee to head the combined company after closing

On April 7^th 2014, Lafarge and Holcim announced their merger project to be finalized during the first half of 2015. Today, Holcim and Lafarge are taking another step towards completion of the most advanced construction materials company in the industry with the announcement of its future Executive Committee.

The future CEO, Bruno Lafont, will head up a project team of 10 experienced and seasoned managers who will lead the transition - with all the teams already engaged in the integration planning - until the completion of the merger. Once the merger is finalized, the members of this project team will be officially appointed members of the Executive Committee of the proposed combined company by the future Board which will be chaired by Wolfgang Reitzle.

Until then, the role of the project team will be limited to integration planning which will be implemented after closing.

Commenting on the major progress made since the announcement of the merger project, Wolfgang Reitzle, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Holcim and future Chairman of the combined company, and Bruno Lafont, Chairman and CEO of Lafarge and future CEO of the combined company said: "We are fully on track, and after a rigorous process, we have now identified the team that will lead the combined company into the future. We would like to use this opportunity to thank all our teams for their excellent work to build this new and exciting global company. As of now, the future Executive Committee will play a key role in the integration planning of our two groups".

The future Executive Committee, as project team under the chairmanship of Bruno Lafont, future CEO, is composed of:

Finance, Thomas Aebischer, currently in charge of Finance at Holcim;
Integration, Organization & Human Resources, Jean-Jacques Gauthier, currently in charge of Finance at Lafarge;
Europe, Roland Köhler, currently in charge of Europe at Holcim;
Asia Pacific, Ian Thackwray, currently in charge of East Asia Pacific and Trading at Holcim;
Middle-East Africa, Eric Olsen, currently in charge of Operations at Lafarge;
North America, Alain Bourguignon, previously in charge of North America and UK at Holcim;
Latin America, Saâd Sebbar, currently in charge of Morocco at Lafarge;
Performance and Cost, Urs Bleisch, currently in charge of Corporate Functions at Holcim;
Growth and Innovation, Gérard Kuperfarb, currently in charge of Innovation at Lafarge;

In India both companies are well on track in preparing the merger of Holcim and Lafarge, with the future structure for this subcontinent to be announced in due course upon clearance by the Competition Commission of India.

The current Executive Committees of Holcim and Lafarge remain in charge and accountable for the activity and operations of their respective groups until completion of the merger. Both groups continue to operate entirely separately as competitors until the merger is completed.

The selection and nomination process for the rest of the leadership team is also well underway. Apart from the future Executive Committee, the following direct reports of the future CEO have been selected under project mode:

Strategy and M&A, Christof Haessig, currently in charge of Corporate Finance and Treasury at Holcim;
Communication, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development, Alexandra Rocca, currently in charge of Communication, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development at Lafarge;
Legal, Xavier Dedullen, currently in charge of Legal & Compliance at Holcim;
Health and Safety, Sapna Sood, currently in charge of Health and Safety at Lafarge.

Further top managers nominations will be announced in due time.

About Holcim

Holcim is a global leader in the manufacture and distribution of cement and aggregates (crushed stone, gravel, and sand), as well as other activities, including ready-mix concrete, asphalt, and associated services. The company holds majority and minority shareholdings in some 70 countries and on every continent. In 2013, Holcim recorded net sales of over 19.7 billion Swiss francs. Thanks to our market-oriented structures, product innovations, skilled employees and efficient environmental management systems, Holcim is in a strong position now - and for years.

About Lafarge

A world leader in building materials, Lafarge employs 64,000 people in 62 countries, and posted sales of €15.2 billion in 2013. As a top-ranking player in its Cement, Aggregates and Concrete businesses, it contributes to the construction of cities around the world, through its innovative solutions providing them with more housing and making them more compact, more durable, more beautiful, and better connected. With the world's leading building materials research facility, Lafarge places innovation at the heart of its priorities in order to contribute to more sustainable construction and to better serve architectural creativity.

Important information

This communication does not constitute an offer to purchase or exchange or the solicitation of an offer to sell or exchange any securities of Lafarge or an offer to sell or exchange or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange any securities of Holcim. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of Lafarge or Holcim.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking information and statements about Holcim, Lafarge and their combined businesses after completion of the proposed transaction that have not been audited or independently verified. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations. Although the managements of Holcim and Lafarge believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of Holcim and Lafarge shares are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Holcim and Lafarge, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. The combined group may not realize the full benefits of the transaction.

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