Grace Welcomes New VP and Chief Human Resources Officer

COLUMBIA, Md.--(Business Wire)--
W. R. Grace & Co. (NYSE:GRA) today announces the addition of Pamela K. Wagoner
as Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. The Grace Board of
Directors has elected her an Executive Officer of the Corporation.

Ms. Wagoner, 45, has more than 20 years of human resources and senior management
experience and has worked in the high tech, non-profit, academia and government
sectors. She joins Grace after nearly eight years with Host Hotels & Resorts,
Inc. where she held the position of Senior Vice President since 2003. Earlier in
her career, she held senior HR roles at SAVVIS Communications, Lucent
Technologies, Inc. and Yurie Systems Inc. (which was acquired by Lucent).

Ms. Wagoner is qualified by the Center for Creative Leadership, William Bridges
and The Ken Blanchard Companies in a variety of assessment and leadership
training programs, and received her Certificate in International Human Resources
from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). She is a graduate of The
Pennsylvania State University.

In her new role, Ms. Wagoner will oversee Grace`s global HR activities,
including recruitment and retention, leadership development, employee training,
labor relations, talent and performance management, regulatory compliance and
compensation. She will be based at Grace`s global headquarters in Columbia,
Maryland and will report to Fred Festa, Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer.

"I consider Grace employees to be the company`s greatest asset, making Pamela`s
responsibilities among the most crucial to our success," remarked Festa. "I am
excited to welcome her to Grace and look forward to her valuable counsel."

Grace is a leading global supplier of catalysts and other products to petroleum
refiners; catalysts for the manufacture of plastics; silica-based engineered and
specialty materials for a wide range of industrial applications; sealants and
coatings for food and beverage packaging, and specialty chemicals, additives and
building materials for commercial and residential construction. With annual
sales of more than $3 billion, Grace has about 6,000 employees and operations in
over 40 countries. For more information, visit Grace's web site at
www.grace.com.

W. R. Grace & Co.
Media Relations:
Andrea Greenan, +1 410-531-4391
andrea.greenan@grace.com
or
Investor Relations:
Susette Smith, +1 410-531-4590
susette.smith@grace.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009