Vienna, Austria, August 2026 — Gustavo Franco has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of RHI Magnesita, effective 1 November 2026, marking the latest chapter in a career of more than 25 years with the global refractory products and solutions company.
Franco currently serves as Chief Customer Officer at RHI Magnesita, a position he has held since February 2023. In this role, his responsibilities have included customer leadership, P&L management and business transformation. Before becoming Chief Customer Officer, he spent four years as Chief Sales Officer, following a progression through increasingly senior commercial and sales leadership positions within the organization.
His international leadership journey at RHI Magnesita has included serving as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Global, Vice President of Sales and Marketing North America, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing South America. These assignments have given him leadership experience across Europe, North America and South America as well as responsibility for global markets.
Franco began his career with the organization in 2001 as a Technical Marketing Engineer in Brazil. He subsequently progressed through Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager and Sales Director roles before moving into regional and global executive positions. His advancement from a technical and commercial role to the company’s top executive position reflects a career spanning customer strategy, sales, marketing, P&L leadership and international business management.
With his appointment as CEO, Franco will bring more than two decades of institutional knowledge and global commercial leadership to RHI Magnesita’s executive leadership. His extensive experience across the company’s markets and customer operations positions him to lead the organization as it continues serving industries dependent on high-temperature processes worldwide.
About RHI Magnesita
RHI Magnesita is a global supplier of high-grade refractory products, systems and solutions used in high-temperature industrial processes exceeding 1,200°C. Its customers operate across industries including steel, cement, non-ferrous metals and glass.
The company operates a vertically integrated value chain spanning raw materials, refractory products and performance-based solutions. RHI Magnesita has more than 20,000 employees, 76 main production sites including recycling facilities, 16 raw-material sites and more than 70 sales offices. The Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol RHIM, is a constituent of the FTSE 250 and has a secondary listing on the Vienna Stock Exchange.
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