Finch Paper, Glens Falls, N.Y., USA, reports that Joseph F. Raccuia stepped down as president and CEO last Friday (May 24), and has been succeeded by Debabrata Mukherjee, Ph.D., who has served as VP and GM of specialty papers for P.H. Glatfelter since 2008.
"Nearly five years ago, I came out of retirement to transform this century-old paper company into a leading 21st Century manufacturer, with high-performance work teams, strong union-management relations, improved efficiencies, and a vibrant pipeline of next-generation products that would allow us to compete for the long-term in the global paper market," Raccuia said. "Together, with an outstanding senior leadership team and the help of our employees and unions, I am proud to say Finch Paper is well on its way to achieving this transformation."
Raccuia said that Dr. Mukherjee's expertise as a developer of specialty papers and a driver of innovation in the manufacturing environment make him well-suited to continue and expand upon the successes Finch Paper has achieved in recent years. Under Raccuia's leadership, Finch has developed successful new products for the rapidly growing production inkjet printing market, and forged strong working relationships with academic institutions, including Cornell University, Clarkson University, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, of which Dr. Mukherjee is an alumnus.
"I am honored and excited by the opportunity to lead Finch Paper," Dr. Mukherjee said. "As a senior executive at Glatfelter, I have known Finch as a formidable innovator with an outstanding reputation for quality products and unrivaled customer responsiveness. Now I look forward to leading this team and building upon its record of success, particularly in the areas of digital and specialty papers. Adding to my excitement is the opportunity to return to a region where I once lived and studied and where I set in motion the chain of events that led me to my chosen career."
After joining Glatfelter as digital products manager in 1998, Dr. Mukherjee earned a steady series of promotions to specialty products manager in 2000, North American general sales manager, engineered products in 2002, director, engineered products in 2004, division VP, engineered and converting products in 2006, and VP and GM, specialty papers in 2008. In his most recent role, he led a business unit with more than $900 million in worldwide sales and six North American locations. Under his leadership, the operating profit of the specialty papers unit increased by 98%, and the business achieved a consistent record of generating more than 50% of its revenue from new products.
Raccuia joined Finch Paper in February 2009, after retiring as president and CEO of SCA Tissue-North America.
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