new md appointed to accelerate circular construction ambitions

Leading building materials supplier Holcim UK has appointed Shaun Elliott as Managing Director for Recycling including  Construction Demolition Materials (CDM), reinforcing the company’s strategic commitment to circular construction and sustainable growth.

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Circularity is rapidly becoming a defining priority for the UK construction industry, driven by growing pressure to deliver vital infrastructure while reducing reliance on finite natural resources. New research from Holcim UK shows that demand for circular construction solutions is accelerating, with businesses increasingly recognising closed-loop supply chains as essential to meeting sustainability, net-zero and resource-efficiency goals. 

Shaun brings more than a decade of senior leadership experience across Holcim UK, most recently as Regional Director for our Aggregates business in the North of England  and Scotland. In his new role, he will be responsible for maximising the company’s recycling performance and profitability, scaling recycling as a core growth engine, and further integrating it into its wider business units.

This appointment is key to Holcim’s ongoing shift towards a circular economy approach, strengthening the company's position as market leader in sustainable construction. 

Commenting on his appointment, Shaun Elliott said: “Circularity is not an add-on to our business – it is fundamental to how Holcim operates, innovates and leads the construction sector forward. My focus will be on scaling our recycling capabilities, fully integrating them across our operations, and ensuring that every tonne of material we process delivers maximum value for our customers and the environment.

“We already have the technology, the assets and the expertise to transform construction and demolition materials into high-quality, certified products at scale. The next step is to accelerate that impact – building strong partnerships, investing in our people, and embedding circular thinking into every decision we make as we work towards our 2030 ambitions and a net-zero built environment.”

Kaziwe Kaulule, Managing Director of Aggregates & Recycling, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Shaun to this role at a pivotal moment for Holcim UK. His experience in delivering profitable business growth and proven leadership make him ideally placed to drive the next phase of growth in our Recycling & CDM business. Shaun will play a critical role in delivering our circular construction strategy and helping us meet – and exceed – our 2030 targets.”

With a nationwide network of eight state-of-the-art recycling centres, Holcim UK has recently strengthened its circular construction footprint through the acquisition of P.J. Thory Limited, Gemmix Limited, Pro Minimix Limited and Thames Materials, significantly expanding its capacity for recycled and secondary aggregates. 

This comes following another major investment in construction and demolition materials (CDM) recycling in 2025 through the transformation of a four-and-a-half-acre site in Birmingham into a regional hub capable of processing up to 250,000 tonnes of material each year.

By 2030, it is Holcim’s goal globally to recycle 20 million tonnes of CDM per annum, increase the recycled content in its cement to 30%, and recycle 70 million tonnes of waste and by-products for alternative energy and raw materials. 

Supporting this ambition is Holcim’s ECOCycle® range — an independently verified label identifying products made with between 10% and 100% recycled CDM without compromising on performance or quality.

To find out more about the Holcim’s range of high-quality aggregate products, visit www.holcim.co.uk/products/aggregates.