Board of Directors

Mr. Francesco Brambilla, Italian

Mr. Francesco Brambilla was appointed as TPCPLC board member in April 2018.He graduated in Civil Engineering from Pavia University (IT) and holds an MBA from Essec Business School (FRA) and Mannheim Business School (GER).

Francesco joined HeidelbergCement in 2016 as Market Intelligence and Sales Process Director for Africa and Eastern Mediterranean Basin Group area.With a vast experience in cement business,prior to his current role Francesco has covered several managerial positions  both in operations and in strategy & business development in Europe and in Africa. 

Mr. Alfonso Velez, Spanish

Mr. Velez took over as the Company’s Managing Director in August 2016. He has brought to TPCC his 20 years of cement industry experience and expertise through a proven record of Operational Leadership, Strategy Development, Strong Team Building, Financial Management and Customer Relationship Management.
Mr. Velez, a 48year old Spanish national, holds a PhD of Economics & Business Organization (University of Granada-Spain), MBA of Corporate Finance (University of Dallas–USA), and a BA of Economics (University of Madrid-Spain). He has had further extensive trainings related to the cement industry and various leadership courses from Harvard University (USA), and other Ivy League Universities. Alfonso’s wealth of cement industry experience is close to 20years having worked in industry related companies in Europe, such as Holcim, until he joined HeidelbergCement Group in 2013 as the Managing Director of CimBenin, in Benin-West Africa.
Alfonso is a strategic leader with strong expertise in Business Finance and Commercial. As the Team Leader of the TPCC Management Team, he is responsible for ensuring that the company attains its Commercial, Technical, Operational and Financial goals. Alfonso draws strength from HeidelbergCement’s company’s philosophy & culture, and hence shall continue to steer TPCC to growth with positive margins year after year. Today, TPCC is a market leader and one of the largest corporates in Tanzania.

Mr. Dominik Michel, German

Mr. Dominik Michel joined HeidelbergCement Group in 2001, in the 21 years he has worked in various finance within the group.

Dominik, a German national born in 1976, a finance major as served on various Boards and Audit committees in different cement plants within the group having gained finance and management experience of more than 15years in senior positions including Finance Director/CFO in Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Egypt, respectively.  After serving more than 10 years serving in senior finance roles in these three countries, Dominik returned to Heidelberg Group Headquarters-Germany, in May 2021 as the Area Director, Financial Planning & Analysis for the Groups Area Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean (AEM) Basin.

Dominik has served as a member of the TPC PLC Audit Committee since 2015, and he was recently appointed to the Board of TPC PLC, in 2021.

Ms. Ruth Zaipuna, Tanzanian

Academic Education

–2002 Masters of Business Administration – Finance (MBA)    UDSM, Tanzania 

–2000 Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) – Accounting, UDSM  Tanzania

–2010: Certified Public Accountant in Public Practice (CPA-PP)

–2005: Certified Public Accountant (CPA (T)

Career Path

2011 Aug - to Date:  Executive Director Finance & CFO  Standard Chartered Bank (T) Ltd.

2011 Jul – 2011 Aug  Assurance Director, Audit & Assurance Services  PwC (T) Ltd.

2009 Jul – 2011 Jun  Senior Manager, Audit & Assurance Services  PwC (T) Ltd.

2007 Jul – 2009 Jun  Manager, Audit & Assurance Services  PwC (T) Ltd.

2006 Jul – 2007 Jun  Senior Associate 1, Audit & Assurance Services  PwC (T) Ltd.

2005 Jul – 2006 Jun  Senior Associate 2, Audit & Assurance Services  PwC (T) Ltd.

2004 Jul – 2005 Jun  Senior Associate 3, Audit & Assurance Services  PwC (T) Ltd.

2003 Jul – 2004 Jun  Associate 1, Audit & Assurance Services  PwC (T) Ltd.

2002 Jul – 2003 Jun  Associate 2, Audit & Assurance Services  PwC (T) Ltd.

Ms. Zaipuna has strong expertise in Taxation, Finance, Audit and is currently the Executive Director & CFO of Standard Chartered Bank Tanzania Ltd. She seats on various corporate Boards in private and parastatal institutions in Tanzania.

Mr. Oswald Urassa, Tanzanian

Born in 1964, Oswald is a University of Dar es Salaam finance major, and an MBA holder from the University of Birmingham (UK). He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a fellow member of the Tanzania Accounting Body (National Board of Accountants and Auditors - NBAA), and a member of the Tanzania Association of Accountants (TAA).

He is a Certified Commonwealth Corporate Governance Practitioner and Trainer.

Oswald’s finance work experience spans from being a senior lecturer at higher learning institutions within the country to working at Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE) the Head of Finance & Operations.

He later worked as Treasurer of NMB Bank Plc, the largest commercial bank in Tanzania before joining Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company Ltd (TMRC) as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) where he is currently working. He is a Board Director of Tanzania Portland Cement Plc (TPC PLC) and Rural Energy Agency (REA).

Mr.Hakan Gurdal, Turkish

Hakan Gürdal studied mechanical engineering at the Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul and holds an MBA in International Management from the University of Istanbul.
He joined çanakkale çimento (today part of HeidelbergCement’s joint venture Akçansa in Turkey) in 1992. He held various management positions at Akçansa, such as Strategy & Business Development Manager (1996–1997), Vice General Manager Cement Domestic Sales & Exports (1997–2000) and Vice General Manager Ready-mixed Concrete, Aggregates and Purchasing (2000–2008), before he became General Manager Akçansa (2008–2014). From 2014 to the end of January 2016 he was President of the Strategic Business Unit Cement of Sabanci Holding.
Hakan Gürdal has been appointed member of the HeidelbergCement Managing Board on 1 February 2016. Since 1 April 2016, he has been in charge of the Africa-Eastern Mediterranean Basin Group area. As from 1 January 2017, he will additionally be in charge of Group Purchasing.