‘Innovation in Focus’
The GCCA held its second annual conference in Singapore on October 10th, with senior attendees from the cement and concrete sector gathering from all across the world. The programme included a range of internationally renowned speakers and industry experts. A link to the full programme can be found [here].
Highlights film of the GCCA ‘Innovation in Focus’ global conference held in Singapore, October 2019. The Global Cement and Concrete Association 2nd annual conference.
Women in Cement and Concrete Networking Breakfast
Before the conference kicked off, an interactive breakfast was held of the first physical meeting of the ‘women in cement and concrete network’.
Morning Session
A warm welcome was given to all delegates by Benjamin Sporton, Chief Executive of GCCA. The conference presentations were opened by lead morning speaker, Lars Sudmann who discussed ‘Making Innovation Stick’.
Benjamin Sporton, GCCA Chief Executive 
Lars Sudmann, Expert on leadership & innovation
Technical Innovation Panels and Q&A
Cement Panel:
A key panel session on cement innovation was held.
Claude Loréa, Per Mejnert Kristensen, Phil Hodgson, Professor Vanderley John, Mike Monea, Tongbo Sui 
Claude Loréa, GCCA Cement Director
In order of appearance, left to right:
Claude Loréa – GCCA Cement Director
Per Mejnert Kristensen – Group Executive Vice President, FLSmidth
Phil Hodgson – Managing Director and CEO, Calix
Professor Vanderley John – Professor of Building Materials, Polytechnic School at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
Mike Monea – President and CEO, International Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS) Knowledge Centre
Dr Tongbo Sui – Vice President, Sinoma International, CNBM
Topics of discussion at the Cement Panel included process improvements, sustainability in the cement industry, the role of new binders and carbon capture. This panel was moderated by Claude Lorèa, GCCA Cement Director.
Concrete Panel:
A key panel session on concrete innovation was held.
Dr Akio Kasuga, Yvonne Soh, Professor Robert J. Flatt , Dr Zhong Hua 
Dr Andrew Minson, GCCA Concrete and Sustainable Construction Director
In order of appearance above, left to right:
Dr Akio Kasuga – Executive Vice President, Sumitomo Mitsui Construction
Yvonne Soh – Executive Director, Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC)
Professor Robert J. Flatt – Professor for physical chemistry of building materials, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zurich
Dr Zhong Hua, Product Director – Specialty Construction, Chemicals Asia Pacific, GCP Applied Technologies Inc
Dr Andrew Minson – GCCA Concrete and Sustainable Construction Director
Topics of discussion at the concrete innovation panel included sustainability, green buildings, innovative concrete admixture control systems and digital fabrications. This panel was moderated by Dr Andrew Minson, GCCA Concrete and Sustainable Construction Director.
Afternoon Session
Albert Manifold, GCCA President and CEO of CRH plc opened the main plenary of the conference – setting out his thoughts on the importance of innovation and collaboration, before introducing the lead afternoon speaker for the afternoon, Dr Ayesha Khanna who discussed ‘Transformation of our urban lives: Smart cities, technology and the role of building materials’.
Albert Manifold, GCCA President and CEO of CRH plc 
Dr Ayesha Khanna, Co-founder and CEO, ADDO AI
Innovandi
GCCA was delighted to launch Innovandi – the Global Cement and Concrete Research Network.
Cities of the Future: “Innovation Challenges” Panel and Q&A
A lively discussion on cities of the future was held with key case studies on India, Latin America and Singapore.
Dr Ayesha Khanna, Co-founder and CEO, ADDO AI 
May Ng, Professor Erwin Viray, Manuel Lascarro & Professor Anupama Kundoo
In order of appearance above:
Dr Ayesha Khanna, Co-founder and CEO, ADDO AI
May Ng, CEO, Pan-United Corporation Ltd.
Professor Erwin Viray, Professor & Head of Pillar (Architecture & Sustainable Design), Singapore University of Technology & Design
Manuel Lascarro, President, FIHP
Professor Anupama Kundoo, FH Potsdam and Global Architect
‘Concrete in Life‘ Photography Competition Awards Dinner
The second GCCA Annual Conference closed with the ‘Concrete in Life’ Photography Competition Awards Dinner where the winners for each category were announced, as well as the overall winner, Roland Batacan who was presented with his award by Albert Manifold (GCCA President and Chief Executive of CRH plc) with judges Gian Luca Barone (Zaha Hadid Architects) and Benjamin Sporton (GCCA).
Judges Benjamin Sporton and Gian Luca Barone. (John Fairley not pictured) 
Rolando Batacan with Albert Manifold, Gian Luca Barone and Benjamin Sporton
The winning photograph by Rolando Batacan can be seen below.
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Photo by Rolando Batacan
“This photo shows one section of the pedestrian bridge located near Al Aweer Vegetable and Fruit Market in Dubai. Imitating life’s cycle, these workers cross the bridge every day in the morning and back in the evening after real hard work.”“To be the winner of ‘Concrete in Life’ means a huge amount to me. The concrete bridge shown in my photo traverses the busy Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed road in Dubai, used by Asian expats mostly working as porters in the fruit and vegetable market. That’s the bridge’s practical usage, but it’s symmetry against the backdrop of Dubai portrays architectural beauty. That’s the fascination of Concrete in Life.”
Rolando Batacan
Header photo by Mike Enerio on Unsplash