Swiss building materials group Amrize appointed Sam Poletti as its new chief financial officer on Tuesday, marking the second CFO departure in less than a year as the company’s shares slipped to a record low.
Poletti, previously Amrize’s head of strategy and M&A, succeeds Baris Oran, who stepped down after just five months in the role. Oran’s exit follows the departure of predecessor Ian Johnston, who left after nine months in 2025. Poletti brings over two decades of experience at Holcim, including leadership roles in M&A, finance and strategy, and played a key role in the spin-off of Amrize’s North American operations.
The leadership shuffle comes as Amrize’s shares breached a critical support level of 36 Swiss francs on Tuesday, falling to an intraday low of 35.28 francs. The decline follows a brief drop to 35.20 francs in August 2025 after the U.S. imposed tariffs on Swiss goods, though the shares had not closed below 36 francs until now. The stock has since fallen 1.5% in Tuesday trading, placing it at the bottom of the SMI index.
Analysts at Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) noted Poletti’s deep familiarity with Amrize and Holcim, describing him as having ‘extensive experience at Amrize/Holcim and in the financial sector.’ His appointment is seen as a bid to restore stability amid investor unease over rising costs, margin compression and a high-inflation environment in the U.S.
Poletti inherits a business facing dual pressures: accelerating revenue growth coupled with elevated expenses and shrinking margins. The company’s ‘Aspire’ efficiency program, aimed at improving its price-cost ratio, may need to be accelerated to address these challenges. Analysts suggest the new CFO will face immediate scrutiny over his ability to deliver tangible results.
The rationale behind the rapid CFO turnover remains unclear, with questions lingering over whether the departures stem from operational missteps or a lack of a detailed turnaround plan. With U.S. policy signaling sustained inflationary pressures, the pressure on Poletti to implement swift solutions is expected to intensify.
