NYC Climate Week — Agenda and Speakers
Introductory Remarks
Mike Ireland — President and CEO, PCA
Fernando Gonzalez — CEO, CEMEX; GCCA Vice President
Keynote Speaker 1
David Turk — Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Panel 1 — Carbon Capture: A Breakthrough Moment?
Discussion topics: industry progress, where the cement and concrete industry stands with CCUS, what it needs to hasten development, and what it will take to clear the hurdles to scalable CCUS.
Overview — Filiberto Ruiz — President and CEO, Votorantim Cimentos North America; Chairman, PCA Board of Directors
Moderator — Dr. Julia Attwood — Industrial Decarbonization Specialist, BloombergNEF
Panelists
- Brad Crabtree — Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- Thomas Guillot — Chief Executive, GCCA
- Abigail Regitsky — Senior Manager, U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Breakthrough Energy
- Chris Ward — President and CEO, Heidelberg Materials; PCA Board of Directors
Q&A
Keynote Speaker 2
Catherine Stewart — Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change
Panel 2 — Getting to Carbon Neutrality by Going with the Alternatives
Discussion topics: how change is driving progress - Alt Fuels, Alt Raw Materials and Overall Energy Efficiency
Overview — Massimo Toso — President and CEO, Buzzi Unicem USA; Vice Chairman, PCA Board of Directors
Moderator — Dr. Julia Atwood — Industrial Decarbonization Specialist, Bloomberg NEF
Panelists
- Dr. Patricia Gómez — Deputy Chief Resilience Officer, Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience
- Jeremy Harrell — Chief Strategy Officer, ClearPath
- Tim Kuebler — President and CEO, Giant Cement Holding, Inc.; PCA Board of Directors
- David Loomes — President, Continental Cement Company; PCA Board of Directors
Q&A
Closing Remarks
Speaker Information
Introductory Remarks
Mike Ireland
President & CEO, Portland Cement Association
Mike Ireland is currently in his sixth year as Portland Cement Association (PCA) president and CEO. The association launched its Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality under his leadership in October 2021. Previously, Ireland was associate executive director of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as well as CEO of the Association for Facility Engineers and National Environmental Balancing Bureau.
Fernando A. González
CEO, CEMEX
Vice President, GCCA
Since joining Cemex in 1989, Fernando A. González has held various positions in the Strategic Planning, Business Development and Human Resources departments through 1998. From 1998 through 2009, Mr. González led various regions of Cemex, including SCA&C, Europe, Asia and Oceania. He was appointed as Cemex’s Executive Vice President of Planning and Development in May 2009, and he was appointed Cemex’s Chief Financial Officer in 2011. Mr. González held these positions until he was named Chief Executive Officer in 2014. He is a member of the Board of Directors of GCC, S.A.B. de C.V. and of Axtel, S.A.B. de C.V.
Panel 1 — Carbon Capture: A Breakthrough Moment?
Keynote Speaker 1
David Turk
Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Prior to his nomination as Deputy Secretary, David Turk was the Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), where he focused on helping countries around the world tackle their clean energy transitions. He also directed reports on the digitalization of energy systems, the future of clean hydrogen, and a project tracking progress on a wide range of clean energy technologies. During the Obama-Biden Administration, Turk coordinated international technology and clean energy efforts at DOE. During this time, he helped spearhead the launch of Mission Innovation—a global effort to enhance clean energy innovation.
Introduction
Filiberto Ruiz
President and CEO, Votorantim Cimentos North America
Chairman, PCA Board of Directors
Filiberto Ruiz is Chairman of PCA’s Board of Directors and the president and CEO of Votorantim Cimentos North America. He previously worked at Holcim US Inc and Aggregates Industries US as a President and CEO.
Moderator
Dr. Julia Attwood
Industrial Decarbonization Specialist, BloombergNEF
Dr. Julia Attwood is a specialist modelling industrial decarbonization at BloombergNEF. She writes about pathways to decarbonisation for heavy industry, focusing on the circular economy, CCUS, and direct air capture. Prior to this, she led BNEF’s sustainable materials team, wrote research on grids, digital technologies and electric vehicles, and was BNEF's expert in lithium-ion battery technologies, costs and supply chain. Before joining BNEF, Julia researched advanced polymer composites. She has a PhD in Materials Engineering from the University of Cambridge.
Panel Speakers
Brad Crabtree
Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Brad Crabtree is the Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE's) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), where he leads and directs FECM’s research and development programs. Mr. Crabtree brings nearly three decades of experience in energy and climate policy to his role as Assistant Secretary. Prior to joining DOE, he served as Vice President for Carbon Management at the Great Plains Institute (GPI), where he cofounded and directed the Carbon Capture Coalition, which works to advance carbon management technologies to meet climate goals, create high-wage jobs, and support domestic energy and industrial production.
Thomas Guillot
Chief Executive, GCCA
Thomas Guillot is CEO of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA). Previously he was at Holcim, bringing 20 years of sustainability experience with a key focus on circularity and industrial ecology in both operational and functional roles. Most recently he led the development of Holcim’s decarbonisation program and its circular business (Geocycle) across the EMEA region. He currently leads GCCA’s global net zero implementation program.
Abigail Regitsky
Senior Manager, U.S. Policy and Advocacy, Breakthrough Energy
Abigail Regitsky is a member of Breakthrough Energy’s US Policy and Advocacy team, which helps implement the organization’s climate policy priorities, focusing on industrial decarbonization, embodied carbon in buildings and other materials, and carbon management.
Chris Ward
President and CEO, Heidelberg Materials
PCA Board of Directors
Chris Ward is President and CEO of Heidelberg Materials North America and a PCA board member. He has been with the company since 1996 and most recently served as President of the company’s Canada Region. Ward has also held management positions in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.
Panel 2 — Getting to Carbon Neutrality by Going with the Alternatives
Keynote Speaker 2
Catherine Stewart
Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change
Catherine Stewart was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change in August 2022. With over 25 years in the federal government, Ambassador Stewart’s most recent role was Assistant Deputy Minister of International Affairs at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Since 2014, she has served in senior executive roles at ECCC including as Canada’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change, Director General Multilateral Affairs and Climate Change, and Director General for the Americas.
Introduction
Massimo Toso
President and CEO, Buzzi Unicem USA
Vice Chairman, PCA Board of Directors
PCA Climate and Sustainability Chair
Massimo Toso is Vice Chairman of PCA’s Board of Directors and the president and CEO of Buzzi Unicem USA. Previously, he was Chief Operations Officer at Buzzi Unicem SPA. He served as the inaugural co-chair of PCA’s Climate and Sustainability Council where he led efforts as one of the main authors to develop the industry’s Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality. As co-chair, Toso continues to lead the Council as PCA has transitioned from initial development to ongoing implementation of the Roadmap.
Panel Speakers
Dr. Patricia Gómez
Deputy Chief Resilience Officer, Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience
Dr. Patricia Gómez is a leader in planning and implementing climate adaptation and mitigation programs, with over 20 years of direct experience working on engineering, resilience, and sustainability-related opportunities in both the public sector and private sectors. Currently serving as the Director of Energy and Deputy Chief Resilience Officer in Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience, Dr. Gómez has successfully implemented several projects that have increased the sustainability and resilience of county operations and the community.
Jeremy Harrell
Chief Strategy Officer, ClearPath
Jeremy Harrell is the Chief Strategy Officer at ClearPath, where he leads the development, management, and execution of the organization’s strategic plan. In that role, he oversees the organization’s public policy development, government affairs, research, and strategic partnerships, including philanthropic initiatives. Jeremy serves as a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (REEAC). He also plays a leadership role in multiple clean energy industry trade groups, serving as the Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council, a leading advocate for American nuclear energy technologies, and Legislative Chair for Geothermal Rising, the largest association for geothermal energy professionals.
Tim Kuebler
President and CEO, Giant Cement Holding, Inc.
PCA Board of Directors
Tim Kuebler is the President and CEO of GCHI and Elementia USA. Giant Cement Holding Inc. (GCHI) Cement Division operates three cement plants across the eastern seaboard of the US: Maine, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Giant Resource Recovery (GRR) is GCHI Energy Recovery Business and operates four facilities in the Eastern US. Elementia USA provides all corporate shared services for Elementia Materiales and Fortaleza Materiales businesses in the US.
David Loomes
President, Continental Cement Company
PCA Board of Directors
David Loomes is a Global Business Executive with leadership experience across Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, Business Development & Strategy. As a solutions-focused transformation expert, he brings a proven track record in delivering exceptional results, including revenue growth and profitability enhancements, operational efficiencies, cultural & safety improvement, and M&A execution & integration. Throughout his career, he has been valued for high integrity, international perspective, agility and ability to identify and improve operational inefficiencies and align them with core values of business.