Metsä Board operates through two business areas which will also be the company’s reporting segments from 1Q 2014 reporting onwards: Cartonboard; Linerboard and Paper.
Ari Kiviranta has been appointed SVP, Head of 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.
Seppo Puotinen has been appointed SVP, Head of Linerboard and Paper business area. Puotinen continues also as the Husum Mill Manager. Puotinen has an extensive background in Metsä Board, in total over 20 years, in different managerial positions both in paperboard and paper operations. His latest position was SVP, Head of Paper and Pulp business area and Husum Mill Manager.
Pasi Piiparinen, who previously held the position of SVP, Head of 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 Ari Kiviranta.
Metsä Board’s current CFO Matti Mörsky will retire on February 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 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 further kraftliner product development and reduction of the share of Husum mill’s paper production,” comments CEO Mikko Helander.
Cartonboard business area includes Kyro, Simpele, Tako and Äänekoski board mills, Kyro wallpaper machine and Joutseno BCTMP mill located in Finland as well as Gohrsmühle mill in Germany. Linerboard and Paper business area includes Husum mill in Sweden as well as 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 result impact of Metsä Fibre ownership is expected to be split roughly in half between the Cartonboard business area and the Linerboard and Paper business area.
