New CEO for MPA: policy and cost pressures explained for materials engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
The Mineral Products Association has appointed Paul Adeleke as CEO, bringing experience from the Global Cement and Concrete Association, RICS, Philip Morris International and senior UK Government roles in the Department for Business & Trade and HMRC. Adeleke signals a focus on securing a more supportive policy framework for aggregates, cement and concrete producers amid cost pressures, high energy prices and supply chain resilience concerns. He succeeds executive chair Chris Leese, who has led the association’s management team through two years of major market and regulatory turbulence.
Technical Brief
- Executive chair Chris Leese steps back from frontline MPA duties as Adeleke assumes the CEO role.
- Leese led the MPA executive management team for two years during major regulatory and market disruption.
- Industry challenges under Leese included escalating operational cost pressures and sharply rising energy prices for producers.
- Increasing taxation and “unwelcome policy decisions” are cited as key constraints on mineral products sector viability.
- Supply chain resilience concerns reached “unprecedented” levels, affecting continuity of aggregates, cement and concrete delivery.
- MPA board ran an “extensive and rigorous” selection process before unanimously appointing Adeleke as CEO.
- Adeleke’s background includes policy-facing roles at Dods Group and planning-focused communications work at GKA.
Our Take
The Mineral Products Association has been a recurring actor in our 139 Policy stories, often as the main industry voice on UK standards for aggregates, cement and concrete, so a leadership change at MPA will likely influence how future guidance is framed for quarries and concrete producers.
Recent coverage shows MPA challenging gaps in Defra’s land use framework and warning on National Planning Policy Framework revisions that weaken commitments to a ‘steady and adequate supply’ of aggregates, suggesting the new CEO will inherit an agenda heavily focused on safeguarding mineral planning policy rather than just technical standards.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
Related Articles
Related Industries & Products
Mining
Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.
Construction
Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.
CMRR-io
Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.
HYDROGEO-io
Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.
GEODB-io
Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.