Mercer International Inc. announced that David Gandossi, who has served as CEO and President since 2015, has announced, as part of turning 65 years old this year, his decision to retire from the company. The Board of Directors has appointed Juan Carlos Bueno to succeed Gandossi as Chief Executive Officer and President effective May 1, 2022. He will also be nominated for election to the company's Board of Directors at the upcoming 2022 annual general meeting of shareholders.
Gandossi will continue with Mercer as an advisor until August 31, 2022 and assist Bueno and Mercer to facilitate a smooth transition.
Jimmy Lee, Mercer's Executive Chairman, commented, "On behalf of the full Board, I would like to thank David for his many years of tireless service to Mercer both as CEO and previously as CFO. He has been an integral part of Mercer and its growth and success. We sincerely appreciate David's dedication and his continued support through the transition process and wish him all the best going forward."
"The Board of Directors conducted a well-defined global search for a CEO candidate with the expertise and ability to lead Mercer in the future. With his broad commercial, operational and entrepreneurial skills and leadership qualities, Juan Carlos has a proven record of driving strategic growth and operational excellence. Given his many strengths, we believe Juan Carlos is the ideal CEO to lead Mercer into its next chapter of growth and success," Lee said.
Bueno, 53, has extensive global industrial and product experience and a proven track record of achieving commercial and operational excellence over a 30-year career. He most recently served from 2018 to the present date as the Chairman of the Board and co-founder of Global Energy which produces novel green energy generation devices. Prior to that, from 2011 to 2017, Bueno was Executive Vice President and Divisional CEO, Biomaterials, for Stora Enso.
Bueno also has broad experience in investor relations, board interaction and other key CEO functions and served in executive positions including Vice President, Crop Protection, President Agar Cross, Commercial Manager, Global Financial Analyst and Business Consultant with EI DuPont de Nemours & Company in Brazil, UK, Argentina, Colombia and USA.
Bueno holds a BSc., Industrial Engineering degree and a graduate degree in Negotiation & International Relations.
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