Gypsum industry news

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.

India: Knauf India has appointed Vijay Mishra as its new Commercial Director. Mishra brings over 23 years’ sales and marketing experience. Afaqs! News has reported that Mishra has held management roles at tiles producers H & R Johnson, RAK Ceramics and Kajaria Ceramics, at Saint-Gobain India and at plywood producer Century Plyboards.

US: Alternative wallboard developer Xeriant says that it has appointed Mark Sternberg to its advisory board. Sternberg is currently Chief Financial Officer at bio-engineering firm Debina Diagnostics. He previously worked as US Sales Manager of Saint-Gobain Abrasives and President of Moyco Precision Abrasives, which developed nano-diamonds, among other technologies.

Sternberg holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and an MBA from Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.