James Thomson has been named Senior Vice President of Human Resources for the North American businesses of Saint-Gobain, the world's largest building materials company.

The company employs 24,000 people in its North American businesses, which include Valley Forge-based CertainTeed Corporation, a manufacturer of roofing, siding, wallboard and insulation.

Thomson succeeds Dennis Baker, who is retiring from the company.

Thomson joined Saint-Gobain in 1997 as Engineering Manager for the company's Crystals business in Newbury, Ohio. In 1999, Thomson became Business Manager of Saint-Gobain Crystals in Washougal, Washington. In 2001, he was named General Manager of Saint-Gobain Semiconductor Equipment in San Jose, California. In 2002, Thomson became General Manager for Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Akron, Ohio. In 2004, he was named Vice President of the Fluid Systems Division of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Aurora, Ohio.

In early 2008, Thomson was named President of Saint-Gobain Crystals in Hiram, Ohio, the position he held before being named to his most recent position.

Thomson holds a B.A. in Engineering and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Thomson also has an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.

With over 1,000 subsidiaries in 57 countries, Saint-Gobain is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of building materials, and a leader in the production of high performance materials and glass containers. Founded in 1665 and headquartered in Paris, Saint-Gobain had worldwide sales of $59 billion in 2007 and employs approximately 212,000 people. In the United States and Canada, Saint-Gobain Corporation employs approximately 24,000 people, and had sales of $7.9 billion in 2007.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Bill Seiberlich
Communications Manager, Saint-Gobain
610-341-7187
610-341-7777
William.seiberlich@saint-gobain.com
http://www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com