Executive Vice President of UPM Biorefining Business Area, Heikki Vappula is believed to have died in a plane crash while on a private trip in Zimbabwe on Friday, UPM said in a statement. The authorities have confirmed that his name appears on the passenger list of the crashed plane.
Heikki Vappula was 51 years old. He joined UPM in 2006 as Senior Vice President of Global Sourcing. During 2010-2013 he acted as the President of Energy & Pulp Business Group. Since 2013 he held his current position. He was also a member of the Board of Finnish Forest Industries Federation. Before joining the forest industry Heikki had a successful career in Nokia Corporation for 13 years.
"We owe a debt of gratitude to Heikki who was a visionary and inspiring executive, always hungry for results. His insights and energy will be greatly missed by colleagues as well as business partners around the world," says Jussi Pesonen, President and CEO of UPM.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Executive Team, I wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to Heikki's family. We wish everybody to respect the privacy of Heikki's family. This tragedy escapes all words."
