Rafael Augusto Villalona
Position at MBC: Chairman of the Board
Current job position: Chief Executive Officer at CEMEX UAE
Rafael Villalona, CEO of CEMEX UAE, oversees operations and strategy for leading companies in the cement, concrete, and chemicals sectors. With a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering and over 17 years in the construction industry, he is renowned for his commitment to sustainable solutions and innovation. Under his leadership, CEMEX UAE has achieved significant milestones, including transforming the ready-mix division to achieve the lowest CO2 emissions per m3/strength globally, saving over 200 million kg of CO2. He introduced the first CEM II cement for structural use in the country and set a record for cementitious sales, 51% higher than the previous 20-year record.
Rafael excels in streamlining operations and boosting productivity, achieving record-breaking efficiency in plant, pump, and truck productivity. He also led the company to become the first fully digital operation with 100% customer adoption of CEMEX Go. Previously, Rafael held key positions in Egypt and Haiti, demonstrating a track record of success in challenging environments. In Egypt, he tripled net operating cash flow in six months by overhauling the commercial strategy, and in Haiti, he set new records for sales volume and cash flow while maintaining the lowest operating expenditure in over a decade.
Rafael holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Ohio State University and a Master of Engineering from the University of Maryland. He has served as an Executive Board Member for the Association of Industries of Haiti. He has been named the Chairman of the Mexican Business Council in the UAE, responsible for leading the council in achieving its objectives of fostering the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the UAE and identifying additional business partnership opportunities between the two countries.
