Eric Olsen (businessman)

Eric Olsen is an American-French business executive. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of LafargeHolcim, a construction public corporation.

Eric Olsen was born in Easton, Pennsylvania and moved to Chicago, Illinois at a young age.

Olsen graduated from the University of Colorado. He received a master in business administration from HEC Paris.

Olsen started his career at Deloitte. He later worked for Paribas and Trinity Associates.

Olsen joined Lafarge North America in 1999. He became its Chief Financial Officer in 2004. Three years later, in 2007, he was promoted as Head of Human Resources for Lafarge. Olsen helped integrate employees of the Orascom Group, acquired by Lafarge in 2007, and reorganised the subsidiary in 2012. By 2013, he became executive vice president of operations.

Olsen has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LafargeHolcim since July 10, 2015. Olsen conducted the merger of Lafarge with Holcim. He is responsible for "140,000 employees and revenues of about €30bn."

Olsen announced his resignation on April 24 2017 after admitted making payments to armed groups were made via middlemen in Syria although denying before, he will leave LafargeHolcim on 15 July 2017. Once he leaves, Beat W. Hess will become the interim CEO.

Olsen formerly served as the President of the American School of Paris.

He has two children. He resides in Zurich, Switzerland.

Olsen became a bi-national, after gaining French citizenship in 2014. He enjoys skiing.