Accelerating Action Together
Holcim Australia celebrates International Women’s Day
The Holcim Spirit—Purpose, People, and Performance—guides us in everything we do. Our success is built on the strength of our people, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce helps us grow, innovate, and thrive. Embracing different perspectives and experiences enables us to drive positive change—both within our business and in the communities we serve.
Holcim’s Global Chief People Officer and Head of Learning & Development visit Australia
Holcim Australia hosted Carmen Díaz Canabal, Chief People Officer and Karen Tan, Head of Learning and Development for the Holcim Group. Carmen started her career at Holcim in 2002 as a sales representative for ready-mix concrete in Madrid, and then held several positions in the Holcim Group headquarters. She returned to Spain as Commercial Director and was appointed CEO of Holcim Spain in 2022. Since October 2024, she has been the Holcim Group’s Chief People Officer, where she shapes our global people strategy—demonstrating the power of inclusive leadership in driving sustainable growth.
We had the honour of hosting Carmen Díaz Canabal (centre), Holcim’s Chief People Officer, and Karen Tan (right), Group Head of Learning and Development, in Australia. Carmen’s journey—from leading Holcim Spain to now shaping our global people strategy—demonstrates the power of inclusive leadership in driving sustainable growth. Karen, a passionate advocate for learning and capability building, plays a pivotal role in shaping Holcim’s global learning strategy, ensuring our people have the skills and opportunities to thrive. Helen Jones, Executive General Manager People, Culture & Communication (left) highlighted how the visit reinforced Holcim Australia & New Zealand’s commitment to fostering a high-performing culture where diverse leadership can thrive.
“Diversity leads to innovation, as it enables different perspectives, different opinions and different ways of doing things. And this is what gives a far greater richness to our approach when it comes to tackling challenges concerning the built environment and society as a whole.”
Karen Tan is a passionate advocate for learning and capability building. Her career has developed across a range of people-management roles stretching from India, China, Singapore, the Philippines and USA. She plays a pivotal role in shaping Holcim’s global learning strategy, ensuring our people have the skills and opportunities to thrive.
Our international Holcim colleagues: Martin Kriegner (Regional Head Asia, Middle East & Africa), Karen Tan (Group Head Learning & Development), and Carmen Díaz Canabal (Group Chief People Officer) joined our Holcim Australia & New Zealand leadership team—George Agriogiannis (Chief Executive Officer), Helen Jones (Executive General Manager People, Culture & Communication), and Scott Buchanan GAICD (Executive General Manager Aggregates) for an insightful visit to Lynwood Quarry in the NSW Southern Tablelands. Fred Adams (General Manager NSW/ACT Aggregates) and his team led an in-depth tour of our largest quarry, which plays a critical role in supplying materials to the Greater Sydney market using cutting-edge technology to demonstrate the expertise, innovation, and sustainability that are shaping the future of our industry.
The visit by Carmen and Karen reinforced Holcim’s commitment to fostering a high-performing culture where diverse leadership can thrive. At Holcim, we’re entering a New Era of Growth, driven by innovation, sustainability, and the incredible people who make progress happen.
“I’m proud to be part of this celebration at Holcim Australia! Let’s keep working together to build a future where opportunities have no limits!”
From History to Action
The first official International Women’s Day (IWD) was celebrated on 19 March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, with over a million people attending rallies advocating for women’s rights, including suffrage and equal work conditions. While it began as a workers’ rights movement, IWD in Australia today focuses on empowering women in leadership, addressing domestic violence, and closing the gender pay gap.
IWD 2025 is observed on March 8, with the campaign theme “Accelerate Action”. In alignment with this, the United Nations has designated the 2025 IWD theme as “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”
