DS Smith Appoints Finance Director for Paper Division
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STATEMENT FROM DS SMITH:
Emma Ciechan has been appointed as Finance Director for the Paper Division.
Ciechan joined the company as Director of Planning and Performance Management in November 2016 from Guardian Media Group, where she was Group Financial Controller. The paper division employs 3000 people and produces over 4 million metric tons of sustainable paper products from 14 mills across 10 countries.
Ciechan joined the group in 2016 to build and lead the Financial Planning and Analysis group finance function, as the business moved from FTSE 250 to FTSE 100, and expanded her role to manage the company’s sustainability strategy. During this time, she has been successful in developing and rolling out the company’s nine long-term and ambitious sustainability targets, including a commitment to build a diverse, engaged and respected workforce. As part of this, in 2018, DS Smith’s Graduate Recruitment Program achieved equal recruitment of both female and male graduates. Whilst no targets for female representation have been set, this is an encouraging sign that recruitment and career progression opportunities are unbiased and are genuinely focused on the best talent available. Reaching a higher standard of diversity is key to DS Smith’s continued success and encouraging the female workforce to choose careers in manufacturing remains a key priority for the business.
Commenting on her success at DS Smith and her new post as Finance Director for the Paper Division, Ciechan said; “A year after joining DS Smith, I was delighted when I was offered the opportunity to lead the Sustainability team, in addition to retaining my core Financial Planning and Performance Management role. The Sustainability team are a group of passionate sustainability experts who, I hope, benefitted from my team leadership, experience and drive to deliver positive change.”
"I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead and the opportunity to work with the senior management team within our Paper division. DS Smith’s recent initiatives around paper making, such as our work on coffee cup recycling and our insights around plastic replacement in the supermarkets, could have a significant impact on some of the biggest challenges in our society." — Emma Ciechan, Finance Director at DS Smith Paper
Following on from Ciechan’s appointment, the Sustainability Team will now come under the leadership of Greg Dawson, Director of Corporate Affairs at DS Smith, further embedding the sustainability targets into the corporate affairs strategy.
