FRIES
Alexis Fries has joined global engineer Pöyry PLC, Vantaa, Finland, as president and CEO. He was CEO of EOS Holding SA, an energy company in Lausanne, Switzerland. In his new role, Fries succeeds Heikki Malinen, who stepped down in June. Chairman Henrik Ehrnrooth had been serving as interim president and CEO. Pöyry ranks at No. 34 on ENR's list of the Top 150 Global Design Firms, with $1.1 billion in 2011 engineering revenue. Fries has been a Pöyry board member since 2008. The firm says he will be based primarily in Zurich, Switzerland.

Filiberto Ruiz has been elevated to deputy CEO of Holcim US, a leading cement and aggregates manufacturer-supplier based in Waltham, Mass., and its sister company, Aggregate Industries US. He was senior vice president of marketing. Holcim US President and CEO Bernard Terver will take over an expanded region to include North America and the U.K. and joins the executive committee of the parent firm, Holcim Ltd.

 

SOLOW
Alan SolowLorenzo Cabrera,

 

THURMAN
Deborah Thurman has joined URS Corp. as vice president for contracts and procurement in its federal-services division, based in Germantown, Md. She was senior vice president of corporate contracts and group deputy for systems engineering and advanced technology at .ManTech International, a Fairfax, Va.-based provider of information technology, security and engineering services to federal agencies. Thurman is a 24-year U.S. Air Force veteran, including 11 years as a contracting officer. She is an executive advisory council member of the National Contract Management Association. URS also named Robert J. Vensas vice president and office manager for the Michigan operations of its infrastructure and environment division, which it says includes more than 300 professionals in four offices. He is based in Grand Rapids.

Cabrera Services Inc., an East Hartford, Conn.-based environmental services firm that specializes in nuclear waste and unexploded ordnance, has appointed as CEO. He is formerly senior vice president at The Shaw Group Inc., where he managed federal operations for environment, energy and response, according to Cabrera. He also served as chief operations officer at Weston Solutions Inc. In his new role, Solow succeeds who remains chairman.