Cemvision recruits ex-Aira, Northvolt, Stegra talent to scale green cement business

Swedish startup Cemvision is stocking its ranks with top talent from some of Europe's largest climate tech startups.

Among them is Michael Niska, who joins as chief financial officer from Aira, the Harald Mix-backed heat pump company, where he was head of business control. Meanwhile, Ida Westberg (formerly Stegra), will takes over as general counsel from October.

Cemvision has also hired former Northvolt employees Claudio Barrera, who joins as programme director for global expansion, and Douglas Uhno as key account manager.

Cemvision has also tapped talent from the construction industry, including Sten Rodestam (ex-Sika), Markus Hagman and Balasan Khachadoorian (both ex-Skanska), and Mark Davey (ex-Mapei).

Turning waste into cement

Founded in 2019, Cemvision has devised a cement-making process that utilises by-products from industries like steel and mining instead of fresh limestone. The Stockholm-based company claims its cement technology can cut emissions by as much as 95% compared to conventional products.

Cemvision has raised just over €10m to date, with backing from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, EQT Foundation, and Swedish VCs Norrsken and Backing Minds.

Chief executive Oscar Hållén believes the influx of experience marks an important stage in the company’s journey.

"We're not only adding industry expertise but also attracting top talent from other industrial scale-ups to our team," he said, adding that they are bringing in "the knowledge and experience needed to take our innovation to industrial impact".