Rockwood Press Release

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. Appoints Timothy McKenna
Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications

Princeton, NJ USA (March 22, 2006) - Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ROC, “Rockwood”) a global producer of specialty chemicals and advanced materials, has appointed Timothy McKenna, vice president, investor relations and communications, effective April 1, 2006.

McKenna was most recently senior vice president, investor relations and communications, for Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, the largest North American paperboard and packaging company, headquartered in Chicago.  He joined Smurfit-Stone’s predecessor, Jefferson Smurfit Corporation, in 1995 and during the past 10 years has been in charge of the company’s investor communications, internal and external communications and government relations.  Before Smurfit-Stone, he spent 14 years in investor relations and communications with Union Camp Corporation, Wayne, N.J., a producer of paper, packaging and chemicals. 

He holds a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics, with minors in German and English, from Montclair State University, Montclair, N.J. and a master of arts degree in linguistics from New York University, New York City, N.Y.  He began his career as a reporter for the Evening News, a daily newspaper in Paterson, N.J.   He is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute and the Institute’s Senior Roundtable, as well as the Investor Relations Association.

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. is the ultimate parent company of Rockwood Specialties Group, Inc., a leading global specialty chemicals and advanced materials company. Rockwood has a worldwide employee base of approximately 10,800 people and net sales of approximately $3.1 billion in 2005. The company focuses on global niche segments of the specialty chemicals and advanced materials markets, including specialty chemicals, performance additives, titanium dioxide pigments, advanced ceramics, custom synthesis, specialty compounds and electronics. For more information on Rockwood, please visit www.rocksp.com.

The information set forth in this press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning the business, operations and financial condition of Rockwood Holdings, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Rockwood”). Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “predicts” and variations of such words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although Rockwood believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that its expectations will be realized. “Forward-looking statements” consist of all non-historical information, including the statements referring to the prospects and future performance of Rockwood. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in Rockwood’s forward-looking statements due to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, the “Risk Factors” described in Rockwood’s securities filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its registration statement on Form S-1.  Rockwood does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which any such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.