David Duncan has taken the helm as president and CEO of Georgia-Pacific, the paper and packaging heavyweight based in downtown Atlanta. The company announced the leadership change Thursday, promoting the executive who has been running its consumer products business since he arrived at Georgia-Pacific in 2018. The move hands Duncan control of one of metro Atlanta’s largest private employers at a time when the company is pouring money into both manufacturing operations and downtown redevelopment.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Duncan brings 28 years of experience at Koch companies and most recently held the title of executive vice president of Georgia-Pacific’s Consumer Products Group. He replaces Christian Fischer, who retired at the end of October, with Koch executive Mark Luetters stepping in as interim CEO during the transition. "I'm honored and grateful," Duncan said in a statement, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
David Duncan's background
Per Georgia-Pacific, Duncan joined the company in 2018 as executive vice president of Building Products before shifting over to lead the Consumer Products Group, arriving at Georgia-Pacific from INVISTA. The company notes that he has more than 25 years of experience at Koch affiliates and has held a variety of finance and investment roles across the organization.
Why the leadership change matters for Atlanta
Georgia-Pacific runs more than 150 facilities and directly employs about 30,000 people, with household-name brands that include Quilted Northern, Angel Soft, Brawny and Dixie, according to Forbes. With that kind of footprint, and a major headquarters presence at the Georgia-Pacific Center downtown, decisions from the CEO’s office can ripple across local manufacturing jobs and influence key real estate and redevelopment moves in the city’s core.
Leadership shuffle and next steps
With Duncan stepping into the top job, Vivek Joshi, currently president of the consumer tissue, towel and napkins business, will become executive vice president for the Consumer Products Group, the AJC reports. Local officials and industry observers will be keeping a close eye on how Duncan steers capital investments and shapes Georgia-Pacific’s downtown plans as the new leadership team settles in.
