Ecocem executive John Reddy becomes the first Irish President of the Institute of Concrete Technology

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Ecocem Director of Concrete Technology Deployment John Reddy has today been appointed to the role of President of the Institute of Concrete Technology (ICT), the international professional body for concrete technologists and engineers.

Reddy is the first person from Ireland to hold the role of President of ICT, which has a term of two years, and follows his term of Vice President of the organisation since 2023. He will be joined by Veronika Elfmarkova, who becomes the body’s new Vice President, ahead of her becoming the ICT’s first ever female President in 2027. Elfmarkova is Head of Commercial RMX at Holcim and is based at the Group’s headquarters in Switzerland.

Speaking on his appointment, John Reddy said: “Now is perhaps the most exciting and critical time to be a concrete technologist as demand is increasing for concrete in terms of performance, volume and Net Zero ambitions. I am honoured to take on the leadership of the ICT and it is my ambition to elevate further the status of the ICT internationally and to see concrete technologists develop their roles in delivering solutions to improve further the concrete we use today.”

The theme of this year’s ICT symposium is The Pursuit of Net Zero Concrete: Materials, Design and Practical Applications, with speakers drawn from industry and academia in both Ireland and the UK. The event is being chaired by Professor Mark Richardson of University College Dublin, while Trinity College Dublin Professor Roger West – a central figure in the teaching of concrete technology in Ireland – will deliver the keynote address entitled, ‘Concrete epiphanies’.

A regular speaker at international symposia, Reddy has published a number of international research academic papers and trade articles on concrete technology. His links to ICT date back to 2009, when he joined as a corporate member of the organisation on attaining a Diploma in Advanced Concrete Technology. He subsequently served on its Council for several years including as Chair of Marketing and as Vice President for the last two years.

He became a chartered engineer from Engineers Ireland in 2010 and completed an MSc in Advanced Concrete Technology in Queens University in Belfast in 2015, where his thesis was an investigation into thermal activation of low carbon cement.

As Director of Concrete Technology Deployment, Reddy is helping to drive the rollout of Ecocem’s breakthrough technology ACT, which can deliver a 70 per cent decarbonisation of cement at scale globally. Ecocem last week announced an additional investment of €170 million to construct four new production lines in France and to accelerate delivery of ACT to the market.