RISI Names Roberts 2018 European CEO of the Year

RISI, Boston, Mass., USA, this week announced that Miles Roberts, group chief executive of DS Smith (U.K.), has been named RISI's 2018 European CEO of the Year. RISI will present this award at the European Conference, which will take place in Barcelona, Spain, on March 5-7, 2018.

RISI's European CEO of the Year Award is nominated by a group of investment analysts, industry consultants, and commentators covering the European and global pulp and paper industry.

Reasons cited by nominators of Roberts to win the award were: "Miles Roberts has been able to navigate the volatile OCC and containerboard situation without missing a beat, in terms of growing earnings and cash flows. Despite the full price paid, it seems as if the Interstate Resources deal is going well. Since this transaction was announced last June, earnings and cash flow estimates for DS Smith have increased, and the company's share price has rallied more than 15% to £5.11 at the January 19 close from £4.40 at the time of the Interstate deal announcement. By gaining exposure to kraftliner, DS Smith mitigates its substantial net short position at a time when global supplies of kraftliner are tightening. Furthermore, DS Smith continues to capture margin by providing creative service/product enhancements to its myriad customers."

Another said that "DSS just announced their second HP T1100 Digital Press (Europe), so they really have embraced this technology. As far as the U.S. is concerned, I visited two DSS plants recently. Both plants are planning some upgrades. DSS announced two greenfield plants on the east coast...if they keep moving at this pace, they will drag the U.S. into the 21st century in terms of box construction."

Roberts was appointed group chief executive of DS Smith on May 4, 2010. At DS Smith, he has implemented a clear strategy to become a leading provider of corrugated packaging in Europe. Under his leadership, the company has grown organically and via a number of acquisitions, including SCA Packaging, Duropack, Grupo Lantero, and Interstate Resources. It is now present in 37 countries, employing around 27,000 people, and was elevated into the FTSE 100 in December 2017.

Roberts was previously chief executive of McBride plc from July 2005 until April 2010, having originally joined as its group finance director in January 2002. Prior to that, he was finance director of Costain. Roberts is a non-executive director of Aggreko Plc.

Born in Tynemouth on Feb. 14, 1964, Roberts attended Stanley Technical High in South Norwood before graduating from Bristol with a degree in civil engineering. He began his career as an engineer for Ove Arup. 

DS Smith is a provider of corrugated packaging and a specialist in plastic packaging worldwide. The company operates across 37 countries and employ around 27,000 people. The business began in 1940 by the Smith brothers in London. To support its corrugated packaging operations, DS Smith has a recycling business that collects used paper and corrugated board, from which its paper manufacturing facilities make the recycled paper used in corrugated packaging. For the fiscal year 2016/17, DS Smith had revenue of £4,781 million.