Bruno Lafont

Bruno Lafont (born June 8, 1956) is a French businessman. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge from 2006 until its merger with Holcim in 2015, forming LafargeHolcim. He then served as co‑chair of LafargeHolcim from 2015 until April 2017.

Biography

Bruno Lafont was born in Boulogne-Billancourt in 1956. He graduated from HEC Paris in 1977 and from the École Nationale d’Administration.

He joined Lafarge in 1983 as an auditor in the finance department, later working in Germany and Turkey. On January 1, 2006, he was appointed CEO. During his tenure, he expanded Lafarge’s operations to 70 countries, acquired minority stakes in Lafarge North America, and reduced costs by 60% in his first year, notably by divesting the roofing division. In December 2008, he acquired Orascom Cement for €8.8 billion and brought Albert Frère and Nassef Sawiris onto Lafarge’s board. He stepped down as CEO in 2015 following the merger and received a €2.5 million bonus. He remained co‑chair of LafargeHolcim until April 2017.

Lafont sits on the boards of Électricité de France and ArcelorMittal. He is an advisor to the mayor of Chongqing, China, and president of the National Foundation for Management Education.

Publications

• Lafont, Bruno (2016). Ces grandes entreprises au cœur des transformations du monde: entretiens avec Philippe Hardouin. Tallandier. ISBN 9791021019263.