Johan Claassen to head PPC after Tomes’ resignation

Richard Tomes resigned at PPC effectively on Thursday to “pursue other opportunities”.

Former head of domestic operations, Johann Claassen is to become the next MD at PPC, after the resignation of Richard Tomes.

PPC on Thursday confirmed the resignation of Tomes, joint MD of the cement maker’s core South African business, and one of the business’s key sales and marketing personnel.

The resignation of Mr Tomes comes a month after Ketso Gordhan resigned as CEO‚ and the company’s board subsequently plunged into a tussle with group shareholders seeking a new board. PPC said Mr Tomes‚ who joined the firm in 1998 and who shared the job as head of domestic operations with Johann Claassen‚ had resigned effective Thursday to “pursue other opportunities”.

With his departure‚ PPC’s South African cement business will be led by Mr Claassen‚ while Pepe Meijer remains MD of PPC’s international business.

In the face of rising competition‚ PPC has been focused on keeping “the home fires burning”‚ while it invests in various new projects in other African markets.

While PPC lost an experienced MD in Mr Tomes‚ it sought to assure investors on Thursday that its South African business remained under strong leadership.

“Johan is a professional engineer who joined PPC in 1989 and has served as executive of cement operations and of lime‚ and held various other senior and general management roles across the cement and lime divisions‚” PPC said in a statement.