Gypsum industry news

Germany: Knauf has announced that it is ‘future proofing’ its leadership structures for accelerated and sustainable growth worldwide,’ as part of a generational transition. Alexander Knauf will join the Partners’ Committee on 1 January 2026. At the same time, the group will reshape its top management to be broader and more diverse.

Kristin Neumann, most recently CFO at the DAX-listed company Brenntag, joined as a General Partner on 1 September 2025. Beginning in 2026, Neumann will oversee the CFO functions and the areas of Corporate Development, Human Resources, Legal & Compliance, Internal Audit, IT, and SAP Transformation, taking over from Alexander Knauf. The Gypsum Americas business, as well as Knauf’s global insulation activities, will be handed over from Alexander Knauf to Uwe Knotzer.

Murat Akyildiz, who has been responsible for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region at Knauf since 2021, will become General Partner on 1 January 2026. This role will see him assume operational responsibilities previously led by Uwe Knotzer. Jörg Kampmeyer will continue to oversee the gypsum business across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, among other activities.

Rupert Knauf, chair of the Partners’ Committee of the Knauf Group, said “I would like to thank Alexander for his many years of entrepreneurial dedication. He has driven our evolution into what is now a world-leading building materials company, providing key drivers for our dynamic business growth. With this personnel change, we are aligning continuity with renewal. Alexander’s long-standing leadership experience at Knauf will be a great asset to the Partners’ Committee and will ensure continuity in the company.”

Alexander Knauf said “I look back with gratitude on the past years in which I had the opportunity to contribute to the development of our company. I thank all our employees for their tireless dedication. Without them, the company’s success story would not have been possible. I am excited to start my new role, which I will approach with great passion. In this context, continuity in our values and strategy is particularly important to me. We can build on this strong foundation.”

Kristin Neumann said “Knauf has defined a very ambitious vision: To make tomorrow a home for all of us. I am very much looking forward to working with my colleagues to live up to this ambition, bringing a fresh outside perspective from my previous roles.”

Murat Akyildiz said “I am very pleased to take on even more responsibility for our company in the future. Particularly in Asia, the need for affordable housing and efficient infrastructure is significant. We can make important contributions there.”

France: Céline Da Silva has been appointed Group Strategy Director of Saint-Gobain, effective 1 October 2025. She will report to Maud Thuaudet, Chief Financial Officer. Da Silva succeeds Noémie Chocat, who will take on new operational responsibilities in North America as of 1 January 2026. Céline, who holds dual French and Portuguese nationality, has been Chief Financial Officer of Saint-Gobain’s ceramics business since 2021. In this role, she took part in several acquisitions in the US, China and Europe. She joined Saint-Gobain in 2003.

Saudi Arabia: United Mining Industries says that an upcoming new gypsum wallboard line in Saudi Arabia is ‘near to completion’ and will commence commercial production ‘soon.’ In a post to LinkedIn, CEO Hamad Alsourayia gave his best wishes to ‘new plant manager’ Kassim Fakir. No further details on any new plant are yet forthcoming.

United Mining Industries currently operates a 30Mm²/yr gypsum wallboard plant in Yanbu.

India: Knauf India has appointed Gaunik Jeet Singh as its Head of Marketing. The role includes responsibility for brand visibility and communication strategy, combining Knauf's global vision with the Indian construction milieu.

Singh has 19 years’ brand management and marketing experience, including at motorcycles producer Hero MotoCorp, paints and coatings producer AkzoNobel, telecommunications company Airtel and finance company DigiSpice Technologies. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Symbiosis International University and bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from Savitribai Phule Pune University, both in Pune, India.

Singh said "The Knauf India brand has a strong foundation and there's a real opportunity to build a deeper awareness and connect meaningfully with our stakeholders. I look forward to working with the team to further elevate Knauf's brand in India and beyond."

Saudi Arabia: National Gypsum Company has appointed Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Fahd Al-Thunayan as its new Chair. The company’s board of directors convened on 2 June 2025 to decide the appointment.

US: The Gypsum Association has appointed Christian Chinsio as its new Director of Codes, Standards and Research. Chinsio has 28 years’ experience in management and technical roles in the building materials industry. He is Technical Development Manager at CertainTeed Gypsum, with responsibility over product rationalisation, competitive testing and quality improvements across plants nationwide. He previously represented CertainTeed Gypsum on the Gypsum Association's Building Code and Technical Committee. Other prior management roles include positions at Continental Building Products and Lafarge North America.

Gypsum Association Executive Director Steve Meima said "Christian's 28 years of building products manufacturing experience, the past 25 being specific to gypsum panel and gypsum products manufacturing, is sure to serve well the interests of our members and the technical information needs of architectural, engineering and construction professionals."

Brazil: Trevo Drywall has named Wilson Soares as its new CEO. In the role, Soares will be responsible for leading the US$25m expansion of the group’s 16Mm²/yr Juazeiro do Norte gypsum wallboard plant. The unit’s capacity will increase to 30Mm²/yr by 2026. The company subsequently plans to build a second plant.

Prior to joining Trevo Drywall, Soares served as general director of packaging producer Smurfit Westrock and industrial director of its Brazil-based subsidiary WestRock Brazil. His 29-year career also includes positions at food producer Danone and beverages producer Ambev. Soares holds a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from Fundação Dom Cabral and a degree in mechanical engineering from Rio de Janeiro State University.

US: Georgia-Pacific has appointed Julie Howard as president of its Gypsum business. The position will require Howard to oversee 3000 employees across sites including 12 gypsum units across the US, producing 465Mm²/yr of wallboard.

Howard has served as Vice President and General Manager, Paper Towels and Napkins, since 2017, and previously served in management roles in various businesses since joining the company in 2007. Before that, she worked for chemicals company Solenis and asset management company GATC. She also served as a graduate assistant to the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where she completed her Master’s in Business Administration. Howard holds a bachelor’s degree in German and International Studies, which she completed at Ohio University in Athens and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany.

Canada: Saint-Gobain Canada has appointed Jean-Claude Lasserre as its CEO, effective 1 April 2025. Lasserre brings over 30 years of experience working for Saint-Gobain across multiple continents, most recently serving as Saint-Gobain Surface Solutions CEO in France. Lasserre succeeds Julie Bonamy, who oversaw US$2.77bn in strategic acquisitions for Saint-Gobain Canada, including of metal products company Bailey Group of Companies, roofing company Building Products of Canada and siding products company Kaycan.

Lasserre said "My primary focus will be to connect with our customers and support our teams as we continue our work to offer a complete portfolio of building products with our recent acquisitions, while reinforcing our commitment to sustainable construction. We are eagerly anticipating the completion of North America's first zero-carbon wallboard plant in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, and the imminent launch of CarbonLow drywall."

US: Georgia-Pacific has appointed its current President of Gypsum, David Neal, as Executive Vice President of Building Products, effective from March 2025. In his present role, Neal led a US$300m expansion to the group’s Sweetwater gypsum wallboard plant in Texas. He previously served as Vice President of Operations, as Regional Operations Leader and in other sales and operations management roles since joining the company as a plant manager in 2004. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Neal succeeds Andy Konieczka who will retire. Konieczka has worked for Georgia-Pacific and its parent company, Koch, since 1992.