Bruno Bayet has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Xella, the building materials company that is part of Holcim. Bayet brings more than two decades of experience in finance, corporate strategy, restructuring and executive leadership across Europe and Africa, including several years in Nigeria’s cement industry.
Before joining Xella, Bayet served as Chief Financial Officer of John Cockerill Hydrogen from December 2023 to May 2026. During his tenure, he was involved in raising €350 million for the hydrogen business, the acquisition and integration of McPhy in 2025, as well as strengthening cash management and liquidity while supporting the company’s transformation.
He has also held senior finance positions at ATALIAN, where he was Group CFO from January 2022 to July 2023 after serving as Deputy Group CFO and Group Controller.
Former Lafarge Africa CFO
Bayet has significant experience in Nigeria, having served as Chief Financial Officer of Lafarge Africa Plc from October 2016 to July 2019. He also spent nearly five years as CFO of AshakaCem Plc, a Lafarge Africa subsidiary, between September 2014 and July 2019, while earlier serving as Head of Finance for a major project.
His Nigeria experience spans both corporate finance and strategic management at a time when the cement industry was undergoing significant consolidation and expansion.
Before his roles with Lafarge Africa and AshakaCem, Bayet was CFO of Entreprise General Malta Forrest in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 2011 to 2013.
He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he worked as a Manager from 1998 to 2005, before moving to Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), where he was attached to the investment division for about six years.
