Georgia-Pacific Taps Koch Veteran David Duncan as New President & CEO

ATLANTA, GA – March 26, 2026 – Georgia-Pacific, the Atlanta-based manufacturing giant, today named David Duncan its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. The appointment elevates a seasoned insider with deep roots in parent company Koch Industries, signaling a commitment to strategic continuity and proven leadership. Duncan, who most recently served as the executive vice president of the company's consumer products group, takes the helm from Mark Luetters, who had been serving as interim CEO since 2025.

The leadership shuffle also includes the promotion of Vivek Joshi, a 23-year company veteran, to executive vice president of the consumer products business. The dual promotions underscore a deliberate strategy of leveraging long-tenured internal talent to guide the nearly 100-year-old company through a complex global market.

A Reflection of the Koch Playbook

Duncan’s ascent to the CEO position is a quintessential example of the Koch Industries corporate philosophy in action. With over 28 years of experience across various Koch-owned companies, his career path reflects the conglomerate’s long-standing practice of cultivating leadership from within. This approach, part of Koch’s “Principle Based Management™” (PBM) framework, prioritizes long-term value creation and internal talent development over the short-term pressures often faced by publicly traded firms.

Koch Industries, which acquired Georgia-Pacific in a landmark $21 billion deal in 2005, is known for reinvesting up to 90 percent of its earnings back into its businesses. This strategy allows for sustained growth, innovation, and a focus on operational excellence. Duncan is a product of this environment. His extensive resume within the Koch ecosystem includes serving as Chief Financial Officer for Koch Minerals, managing director for Koch Ventures and Koch Equity Development, and president of performance solutions at INVISTA, another Koch subsidiary.

This diverse background in finance, investment, and operations provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the PBM philosophy before he even joined Georgia-Pacific in 2018. His initial role as executive vice president of the building products business, followed by his move to lead the consumer products group in 2019, gave him firsthand experience across the company’s two largest and most distinct divisions. This deep, cross-functional knowledge makes him uniquely suited to lead the entire organization.

Navigating a Diverse and Demanding Market

Duncan and his newly elevated leadership team inherit a company with a vast and varied portfolio, facing distinct challenges and opportunities in each of its key markets. Georgia-Pacific is a dominant force in both the consumer goods aisle and the construction site, with iconic brands like Quilted Northern, Brawny, and Dixie on one side, and essential building materials like gypsum, lumber, and structural panels on the other.

In the consumer products sector, which Vivek Joshi will now lead as EVP, the market is shaped by several powerful trends. Post-pandemic hygiene awareness continues to fuel steady demand for tissue and towel products. However, the landscape is increasingly defined by the rapid growth of e-commerce and a profound consumer-led shift toward sustainability. This puts pressure on manufacturers to innovate with eco-friendly materials and transparent supply chains, all while battling volatile raw material costs for pulp and energy.

Joshi’s promotion is a clear acknowledgment of his success in this arena. Since joining in 2002, he has been instrumental in driving performance and investment across Georgia-Pacific's consumer brands. His deep experience, from marketing food wraps to leading the entire tissue business, positions him to steer these household names through the evolving retail landscape.

Simultaneously, the building products division faces its own set of headwinds. The broader construction industry is grappling with skilled labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and extreme price volatility. While lumber prices have recently fallen, costs for other materials like steel and copper have climbed, creating an unpredictable environment for builders. Duncan’s direct experience leading this division from 2018 to 2019 provides him with a crucial understanding of these cyclical challenges and the strategic levers needed to navigate them.

A Planned Transition and Future Outlook

The leadership change represents the culmination of a deliberate and carefully managed succession plan. Mark Luetters, an Executive Vice President at Koch, Inc., stepped in as interim CEO in August 2025 following the retirement of long-time chief Christian Fischer. From the outset, Luetters indicated that his role was temporary, designed to ensure a smooth transition while the company identified a permanent leader from within its ranks, a process he projected would conclude within the 2026 calendar year. His return to his primary role at Koch, Inc. marks the successful completion of that mission.

This methodical approach underscores a commitment to stability at one of Atlanta’s most significant corporate headquarters. In his first public statement as CEO, Duncan emphasized a collaborative vision for the future.

"I'm honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead an organization full of talented and dedicated people who work together across Georgia-Pacific to deliver results every day," Duncan said. He also praised his colleague, stating, "I also want to congratulate Vivek on his new role. He has been a strong leader within our consumer products business for many years, and I'm excited to continue working closely with him as he steps into this expanded responsibility."

An Atlanta Anchor Enters a New Era

As a pillar of the Atlanta business community for nearly a century, Georgia-Pacific’s leadership direction carries weight beyond its corporate offices. The company directly employs approximately 30,000 people and is credited with creating over 80,000 jobs indirectly, making it a vital engine for the regional economy. Its 150 facilities, many located in the Southeast, are critical local employers.

By appointing a CEO steeped in the company's and its parent's culture, Georgia-Pacific is betting on stability and deep institutional knowledge to steer its future. This move suggests that the company will continue to be guided by a long-term vision, focusing on operational excellence and strategic reinvestment rather than drastic, disruptive change. For Atlanta and the many communities where Georgia-Pacific operates, this emphasis on continuity signals a steady course for one of the nation's manufacturing leaders as it navigates the economic currents of tomorrow.