Continuity and Renewal: Knauf Sets Course for the Future

Continuity and Renewal: Knauf Sets Course for the Future

Knauf 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 January 1, 2026. At the same time, Knauf is reshaping its top management to be broader and more diverse:

Dr Kristin Neumann, most recently CFO at the DAX-listed company Brenntag, will join as General Partner on September 1, 2025. Beginning in 2026, Dr 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 Dr 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 starting January 1, 2026. This role will see him assume operational responsibilities previously led by Dr Uwe Knotzer. Jörg Kampmeyer will continue to oversee the gypsum business across EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), among other things.

Rupert Knauf, Chairman 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. He joins our two recent additions to the Partners’ Committee, Sika CEO Thomas Hasler and Bayer CFO Wolfgang Nickl. Our company will benefit from their extensive experience. Together with our top leadership team, including our long-standing successful General Partners Jörg Kampmeyer and Dr Uwe Knotzer, as well as Murat Akyildiz and Dr Kristin Neumann, we are excellently positioned to seize our future growth opportunities. Now more than ever: We are a family company with a strong drive to move forward.”

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.”

Dr Kristin Neumann said of her new role at Knauf: “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.”

Knauf Group

The Knauf Group is an internationally active family-owned company headquartered in Iphofen, Germany. The building materials manufacturer operates more than 320 production sites and sales organisations in over 90 countries on all continents. The Knauf Group is a leading global producer of gypsum-based construction materials and systems, of energy efficient insulation and of system solutions for ceilings. Founded in 1932, the Knauf Group achieved sales of EUR 15.6 billion in 2024 and employed more than 43,500 people.