28 November 2022 – the General Assembly of the FEPF (European Federation of Ceramic Table- and Ornamentalware) elected its new President, Mr Marcelo Sousa, during the Ceramic Days 2022, held in Brussels from 28 November to 1 December.

Mr Marcelo Sousa, a Portuguese national, is the Managing Director of Matceramica, a major Portuguese manufacturer of tableware in earthenware and stoneware based at Vale de Ourém, Portugal. Mr Sousa was appointed by APICER, the Portuguese Ceramic Industry Association, and as FEPF President, he will also become a member of the Cerame-Unie Board of Presidents.
His three year term will start effectively in January 2023 and follow the mandate of current FEPF President Mr. Tillmann Blashcke, Managing Director of Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen, the historical European porcelain producer since 1708.

On this occasion, the FEPF General Assembly has also appointed two new Vice-Presidents, Mr Charles Bernardaud, Operations and Financial Director of Bernardaud, the historical French porcelain manufacturer founded in 1863, and Mr Nuño Arroyo, Chief Executive Officer of CERMER, a leading Spanish manufacturer of tableware and ceramic packaging.

Following his appointment, Mr Sousa said “It is an honor to be able to collaborate with the Cerame Unie team, which has contributed so much to the growth of our industry. The challenges for the next three years will be demanding, including energy costs, competitiveness of EU products as well as environmental sustainability. I hope that my contribution can be useful for the sector, so that European Ceramics continue to be a product of the future”.

The new President and Vice-Presidents will officially start their three-year term on 1 January 2023 until the end of 2025.