Ari Kiviranta has been appointed SVP, head of the Cartonboard business area. Kiviranta has been with the company for about 16 years in various managerial positions in the paperboard business. His latest position was managing director, Metsä Board Zanders GmbH and Gohrsmühle mill manager. Kiviranta has earlier also held the positions of VP, Paperboard R&D and mill manager of Tako and Kyro mills. He holds a D.Sc. in Technology.
Seppo Puotinen has been appointed SVP, head of the Linerboard and Paper business area. Puotinen continues also as the Husum mill manager. Puotinen has an extensive background in Metsä Board, in total more than 20 years, in different managerial positions both in paperboard and paper operations. His latest position was SVP, head of the Paper and Pulp business area and Husum mill manager. He holds a Lic.Sc. in Technology.
As of January 1, Metsä Board’s Corporate Management Board consists of the following persons: Mikko Helander, CEO; Markus Holm, CFO; Ari Kiviranta, SVP, head of the Cartonboard business area; Seppo Puotinen, SVP, head of the Linerboard and Paper business area; Sari Pajari, SVP, Business Services and Development; and Jani Suomalainen, SVP, Purchasing.
Pasi Piiparinen, who previously held the position of SVP, head of the Paperboard business area, has been appointed SVP, Cartonboard Sales. Piiparinen has an extensive background in paperboard sales and marketing operations. In his new role, he reports to Kiviranta.
Metsä Board’s current CFO Matti Mörsky will retire on Feb. 28, 2015. Until his retirement, Mörsky will continue working for Metsä Board as senior advisor in project tasks assigned by the CEO.
"Through this revised management structure, we are able to accelerate the profitable growth both in the folding boxboard and linerboard businesses. In the folding boxboard business, we are strengthening our sales force and improving further our product and service portfolio to grow both in Europe and outside of Europe. From now on, the kraftliner businesses of Kemi and Husum mills belong to the same business area and their synergies can be better utilized. This enables better and further kraftliner product development and reduction of the share of Husum mill’s paper production," said Mikko Helander.
The Cartonboard business area includes the Kyro, Simpele, Tako, and Äänekoski board mills, the Kyro wallpaper machine, and the Joutseno BCTMP mill located in Finland, as well as the Gohrsmühle mill in Germany. The Linerboard and Paper business area includes the Husum mill in Sweden as well as the Kemi linerboard and Kaskinen BCTMP mills in Finland.
Accounting for the 24.9% ownership in Metsä Fibre Oy will remain unchanged. The associated company result of Metsä Fibre will continue to be allocated to business segments based on their respective pulp consumption. The results of Metsä Fibre ownership is expected to be split roughly in half between the Cartonboard business area and the Linerboard and Paper business area.
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