Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Public Affairs at Heidelberg Materials North America is the new confirmed speaker at the second edition of Cementitious Materials International Congress Americas (Hilton Anatole Hotel, Dallas, Texas on March 11-12)!
Beyond Fly Ash: Scaling Next‑Gen SCMs and Blended Cements for Low‑Carbon Concrete in North America
Heidelberg Materials is accelerating the adoption of next‑generation supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and blended cements to cut embodied carbon while maintaining performance across diverse applications and specifications. Building on their 2030 commitments (including the <400 kg CO₂/t cementitious target) and net‑zero roadmap, Heidelberg Materials are expanding slag availability and distribution in North America and investing in innovative SCM technologies.
David will share insights on calcined clay/LC3 binder use and discuss the low‑clinker binder systems and blended cements concrete producers and consumers are most likely to encounter in the coming years. He will also present progress from work on different innovations including beneficiated ash acquisitions/operations as well Recycled Concrete Fines (RCF) to integrate carbonated recycled paste into cementitious systems—advancing circularity and reducing clinker dependence.
Finally, Heidelberg Materials Senior VP will discuss deployment considerations (sourcing, quality control, codes/standards, and market engagement), and how coordinated SCM portfolios position ready‑mix and infrastructure teams to achieve durable, lower‑carbon concrete at scale in North America.
About the speaker
David Perkins leads sustainability, environmental, policy, marketing and communications strategy for Heidelberg Materials’ North American footprint. This includes environmental compliance and programming, sustainable innovation and product development as well as supporting the overall brand identity for the company. In addition, David facilitates stakeholder engagement and policy collaboration to represent and support the company at the national, state and local levels, focusing on legislative advocacy in a variety of policy areas including infrastructure and transportation, resilience and durability, as well as environmental and sustainability strategy. In addition, David leads the group’s communications efforts both internally and externally, while supporting community engagement and enhancement across the broad scope of the company’s North American operations, which include Canada and the United States.
Prior to joining Heidelberg Materials, he served as President and CEO of the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA), representing the Aggregate, Concrete and Cement industry in Texas through a focus on advocacy and stakeholder engagement. Before joining TACA, David served as Vice President – Environmental, Government and Public Affairs for Martin Marietta and began his career in the industry at Texas Industries, Inc. over 27 years ago, as a Senior Environmental Engineer.
David serves on the Government Affairs and the Climate and Sustainability Councils of the American Cement Association (ACA) and chairs Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He serves on the Government Affairs and Environmental Committees for the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, the Government Affairs and the Safety, Environmental and Operations Committees for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. He serves on the Industry Advisory Committee for the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub.
Other speakers include:
Grant Quasha, Chairman & CEO, Eco Material Technologies
Dr. Maria Juenger, Professor, The University of Texas at Austin & President, American Concrete Institute
Dr. Nancy Beltran, Director of Concrete Pavements, Cement Council of Texas (CCT)
Dr. Anol Mukhopadhyay, Director, Concrete Innovation Lab, CIR Materials and Rigid Pavement, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI)
Dr. Rich Szecsy, CEO, Big Town Concrete
Darren Wilbanks, Technical Service Manager, Texas Lehigh Cement Company
Dr. Hongyan Ma, Professor & Director, Laboratory of Future Cements and Carbon-Negative Initiatives (FUCCI), Missouri University of Science and Technology
Dean A. Frank, Principal / Consultant, Dean Frank Associates, LLC
Tiffany Reed-Villarreal is the National Ready-mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) Director, Sustainability Codes and Standards.
