Owens Replaces Melarti as Region Head, Kemira North America

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Kemira Oyj, Finland, reports that Randy Owens, currently president, Kemira Oil & Mining, Kennesaw, Ga., USA, has additionally taken on the role of region head of Kemira North America (Kennesaw, Ga., USA), replacing Hannu Melarti, SVP, Region North America, who left the company July 1 to pursue career options outside of Kemira. Owens was in sales at Nalco Chemicals from 1987-91., and was business manager, Sales/Product Management/Marketing Management at Vinings Industries from 1991-02. He joined Kemira in 2002 as VP, Strategic Business Unit Additives, Kemira Pulp & Paper, serving in that position until 2008. He has been president, Oil and Mining Business since 2008.

Melarti has a lengthy history in the global pulp and paper industry, beginning in 1984–88 as legal counsel for SCA, 1988-91 as general counsel for Sunds Defibrator, 1991-94 as legal counsel for Rauma USA, 1994-95 as general counsel for Sunds Defibrator, 1996-99 as president of Sunds Defibrator, 1999-02 as president of Metso Paper USA, 2002-05 as president of Metso USA, 2005-08 as president of Kemira Chemicals, and 2008-10 as region head of Kemira North America.