Koch announces new leaders following Georgia Pacific buy

By Liz White, UT staffWichita, Kansas-Privately held Koch Industries Inc., which finalised a $21 000 million purchase of Georgia-Pacific Corp. on 23 Dec 2005, has made changes to its leadership team. The diverse conglomerate, which does not reveal financial information, owns among its many operations the Invista polyurethane, nylon and polyester fibres and intermediates business. This business, set up in 1998 as KoSa from the remnants of Hoechst polyester fibres unit, was expanded significantly when Koch bought DuPont's textiles business, including the Lycra PU fibres operation and its nylon activities, in 2004. The Georgia-Pacific acquisition presents Koch Industries' employees with new opportunities for advancement and growth," commented Dave Robertson, Koch's new president and chief operating officer. Robertson replaced Joe Moeller who is now president and chief executive officer of Georgia-Pacific. Georgia-Pacific's main business is tissue, packaging, paper, building products and related chemicals, with turnover of about $20 000 million in 2004. Jim Mahoney has been promoted to vice president, operations for Koch Industries. Mahoney replaces Bill Caffey, formerly Koch Industries' executive vice president for operations and a 33-year Koch veteran, who has left the Koch Industries board to join Georgia-Pacific as executive vice president and a member of its board.Mark Holden has been named senior vice president and general counsel. Holden has been with Koch since 1995, most recently as co-general counsel. Tye Darland, formerly Koch's co-general counsel, has been named Georgia-Pacific's general counsel. I have every confidence that these new leaders will help guide Koch Industries and its subsidiaries to an even more successful future," Robertson said in a Koch statement. Koch Industries, based in Wichita, owns a diverse group of companies present in about 50 countries and employs some 80 000 people in core industries including trading, petroleum, chemicals, energy, fibers, resins, minerals, fertilisers, forest products, chemical technology equipment, ranching, securities and finance. "