Our Team
BIBM Board Members & Chairmen of Commissions
President
Stefan Van Buggenhout (Belgium)
Stefan Van Buggenhout has had a long career in the concrete sector. Since 2012, he has been the Managing Director of CRH Structural Concrete Belgium, a leader in precast concrete products. He was also the Chairman of FEBE asbl, the Belgian Precast Concrete Federation, for seven years (2014–2020). He is currently the Vice-Chairman of FEBE. During the BIBM General Assembly held at the BIBM Congress on 28 September 2023, Stefan was selected as the new President for the term 2023–2026.
Vice-Presidents
Friedrich Gebhart (Germany)
Friedrich Gebhart is an industrial engineer and a specialist engineer in energy efficiency at GISOTON Baustoffwerke Gebhart & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG. He studied industrial engineering at TU Karlsruhe, graduating in 1990, and subsequently worked as a scientific assistant at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering in Construction from 1991 to 1994. During this time, he served as project manager for the European research project “Rocco,” which focused on developing a heavy-load robot for masonry on construction sites, from 1992 to 1995 at Lissmac Maschinenbau GmbH in Bad Wurzach. Since 1996, he has been part of the management board of his family company, Baustoffwerke Gebhart & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG. In 2007, he founded eneplan Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, and in 2013, he completed further education as a specialist engineer in energy efficiency.
Ignacio Brujó (Spain)
Board Members
Michael Wardian (Austria)
Michael Wardian has been the CEO and Managing Director of Kirchdorfer Fertigteilholding (KCS) since 2013, overseeing the comprehensive operational and strategic development of the group. He graduated from the University of Vienna with a degree in Business Administration, specialising in tax law, balance and consolidation, and commercial law. In June 2023, Michael Wardian was appointed the new President of VÖB (Austrian Precast Association).
Idar Heskestad (Norway)
Bertrand Bedel (France)
Alberto Truzzi (Italy)
Alberto Truzzi graduated in Civil Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Bologna, Italy. He is the CEO of Truzzi S.p.A. and Cappellari SRL (Truzzi Group), as well as the President of the Board of Directors of Padana Pannelli S.p.A. (Truzzi Group). Since 2022, he has served as the President of ASSOBETON (Italian Association of Precast Concrete Producers), based in Milan, and he has been a member of the Permanent Industrial Relations Committee since 2003.
Ruud van de Rakt (the Netherlands)
Ruut studied at TU Eindhoven and graduated as a structural engineer from HTI in Amsterdam. He has worked in the precast concrete industry for over 17 years. Since 2018, he has served as the Commercial Director of Geelen Beton Wanssum and Geelen Beton Posterholt, where he is responsible for all commercial activities, as well as the engineering, innovations, and sustainability of their products. Additionally, he has been a member of various technical committees of Betonhuis (the Dutch industry association), NEN, and CEN for several years.
Paul Curtis (the United Kingdom)
With more than 25 year’s experience in the UK’s construction materials and manufacturing sector, Paul Curtis has extensive knowledge of the precast concrete industry, especially in hard landscaping, concrete paving, civils, retaining walls, and above and below ground drainage products. He has studied at the Hult International Business School, and is currently employed as Managing Director of Marshalls Civils and Drainage, as well as a member of MPA Precast UK.
Chairman of the Technical Commission
Taco van den Broek (the Netherlands, 1960)
Taco graduated in Civil Engineering/Structural Engineering from TU Delft. He began his career as a project manager in the steel industry, focusing on construction works. After 15 years in that role, he transitioned to standardisation work at NEN and CEN. Over the past 12 years as a standardisation consultant, Taco has supported the Dutch concrete industry in nearly all aspects of standardisation related to concrete, sustainability, and the Construction Products Regulation (CPR). Since 2017, he has succeeded Willem Welling as the representative of the Dutch precast association.
Chairman of the Communication Commission
Ulrich Lotz (Germany)
Dr Ulrich Lotz studied Economics and Business Administration at the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim (Diplom-Ökonom) and earned his doctorate at the Technical University of Munich (Dr. rer. pol.) with a dissertation on the strategic governance of trade associations through the individualisation of collective services. Since December 1994, he has worked in the precast concrete industry in Germany, serving as Managing Director of several associations and service organisations since 1998. Since 2002, he has been the CEO of BetonTage, the largest European precast concrete congress held annually in southern Germany, and launched BetonTage Asia in Shanghai in 2014. He was also the CEO of the German Precast Concrete Federation (BDB) from 2005 to 2010. In addition, he leads quality organisations in the building materials sector, focusing on testing, quality control, and certification, and has been CEO of argus CERT BAU since 2016. Dr Lotz is actively involved in BIBM and has given presentations at national and international events. He was appointed Chairman of the BIBM Communication Commission in December 2014.
Chairman of the Environmental Commission
John-Erik Reiersen (Norway)
John-Erik Reiersen has served as Managing Director of Betongelementforeningen, the Norwegian Precast Concrete Federation, since 2002 and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Concrete Norway. He is an experienced Managing Director with a strong background in the construction industry, skilled in policy making, environmental management, negotiation, government relations, and emergency management.. John-Erik holds an MSc in Political Science from the University of Oslo, as well as a BSc from the Norwegian War Academy and the Military College of Engineering. His expertise in business development has contributed significantly to the advancement of the precast concrete sector in Norway.
Brussels Office
Secretary General
Alessio Rimoldi (Italy)
E-mail: ar@bibm.eu
Secretary General since January 2007, Alessio Rimoldi joined the federation in 2004 as Technical Adviser. Initially in charge with the technical and environmental dossiers of the association, he was rapidly involved in the development of the BIBM and worked on federating members around common messages of the precast concrete sector. Mechanical Engineer as background (double degree in both Milan and Brussels Universities, 2001); he got a Master in Management at the Solvay Business school (2005).
Public Affairs & Communications Manager
Magdalena Herbik (Poland)
E-mail: mh@bibm.eu
Magdalena Herbik joined BIBM in 2019 as Public Affairs & Communications Officer. Magdalena graduated from International Relations and Sociocultural Animation in Poland, completing part of her studies abroad i.a. at the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan (IR, BA) and at Işık University in Turkey (IR, MA). She also studied Mandarin at Beijing Normal University in China (Confucius Institute Scholarship Programme). Prior to BIBM, she worked in a consultancy firm, an EU institution (European Parliament), an NGO and a private language school. Magdalena is a native Polish speaker. In addition, she speaks English and is proficient in German and Mandarin Chinese.
Sustainability & Circularity Officer
Ebru Akgün (Turkey)
E-mail: ea@bibm.eu
Ebru Akgün joined BIBM in 2023 as Sustainability and Circularity Officer. She holds a BA degree from Bilkent University in Political Science and Public Administration and a MSc degree from KU Leuven in Sustainable Development. She now conducts a doctoral research at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Universiteit Antwerpen on the topic of nationalism and natural disasters. Ebru is a native Turkish speaker, she is proficient in English, as well as in the progress of having fluency both in French and Dutch. She is a classical pianist and singer, and an avid reader.