Top 50 Power List 2019

Welcome to the 12th Top 50 Power List.

Over the past few years, events and issues, some of which fall outside traditional pulp and
paper making, have shown to have increasingly more influence over the industry. This year is
no different.

From political issues—Brexit (again) and the US presidential election (despite being more
than a year away)—to social media to trade to entertainment to other issues that affect the
industry such as the paper straw, they all have a place on this year’s list. However, a person
returns to the top of the list this year and it’s her second time as the most influential person
in the industry. Nine Dragons’ Cheung Yan comes out as No. 1 in 2019, just as she did in 2017.
It’s a family affair as her son Ken Liu, head of ND Paper, also makes a return appearance.

There are many other familiar names but many newcomers as well. As we have said in the
past, we enjoy putting together this annual eclectic collection. It is neither a scientific study
nor a popularity contest. It is more a year’s worth of observation along with the opinions of
many experienced analysts within the industry.

As we were compiling this year’s list, the sad news came in that Sylvain Lhôte, director
general of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), died suddenly. Lhôte
had been on the Power List for the last two years and was doing a fantastic job supporting
the pulp and paper industries in Europe. Lhôte was recently also announced as the new
president of the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA). He will be
greatly missed in the industry worldwide.

Again, we would like to hear from you as to whom we may have missed and why they should
be included. You can contact us with your list of people who deserve to be on the 2020 Top 50.

Sincerely,

Graeme Rodden Mark Rushton

grodden@fastmarkets.com mrushton@fastmarkets.com

Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019 risi.com | 1

Top 50 Power List 2019
1 Cheung Yan Nine Dragons Paper
2 Mark Sutton International Paper
3 Walter Schalka Suzano
4 Susumu Yajima Oji Holdings
5 Jussi Pesonen Upm
6 Anthony Pratt Pratt Industries
7 John Williams Domtar
8 Cristiano Texeira Klabin
9 Amazon
10 Teguh Wijaya App
11 Wu Mingwu Shanying International Holdings
12 Matías Domeyko Arauco
13 Karl-Henrik Sundström Stora Enso
14 Ilkka Hämälä Metsä Group
15 Tony Smurfit Smurfit Kappa Group
16 Cellulosic Derived Textiles
17 The Paper Straw (And Shot Gun Paper Shells)
18 Miles Roberts Ds Smith
19 William Kress Green Bay Packaging
20 Us Presidential Election
21 Steve Voorhees Westrock
22 Li Hongxin Sun Paper
23 Jim Fish Waste Management
24 Raymond Lee Lee & Man
25 Mario Plourde Cascades
26 Christian Fisher Georgia-Pacific
27 Peter Oswald Mondi
28 Luigi Lazzareschi Sofidel
29 Ulf Larsson Sca
30 Michael Doss Graphic Packaging
31 Steve Binnie Sappi
32 Ken Liu Nd Paper
33 Magnus Groth Essity
34 Mark Kowlzan Packaging Corporation Of America
35 Jürgen Heindl Progroup
36 Kathy Buckman Gibson Buckman
37 Brexit
38 Heidi Brock AF&PA
39 Philip Rundle Sustana
40 Mike Hsu Kimberly-Clark
41 Miguel Rincon Bio-Pappel
42 The “Green New Deal”
43 Jon Keppler Enviva
44 John Begley Columbia Pulp
45 Larry Montague Tappi
46 Lars Idermark Södra
47 Heather Reisman Indigo Books
48 Akira Isogai University Of Tokyo
49 George R. R. Martin Author, Game Of Thrones
50 Casey And Page Paper & Packaging Board

2 | risi.com Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019

1 CHEUNG YAN, leads a behemoth in pulp making after the
merger with Fibria. His leadership skills will be
NINE DRAGONS PAPER put to the test in the coming months as pulp
-
 


   

 markets face an upheaval with slowing demand
select few people in the pulp and paper
industry who have always been on the Power
List since its inception 12 years ago. Cheung
Yan heads 2019’s list for yet more audacious
company expansion—in this year alone Nine
Dragons will add 2.05 million tonnes / yr of
capacity in China. The company will start up
four new recycled linerboard machines by
the end of October. Also, US subsidiary ND
Paper, headed by Cheung Yan’s son, Ken Liu
(#32) is in the midst of equipment upgrades
and expansion projects that will see another
1.4 million tonnes / yr of capacity added
to the four US plants it recently acquired.
However, all is not totally rosy in the Nine
Dragons’ garden; the chairlady recently told
Fastmarkets RISI that “China’s imposition of
an additional 25 percent tariff on US RCP has
taken a heavy toll on the group’s profitability.”
2 MARK SUTTON,
INTERNATIONAL PAPER
X         !"
TAPPI/PIMA Executive of the Year, Sutton leads a
company that has been named one of the Most
Admired Companies by Fortune; one of the Most
Ethical Companies by Ethisphere; and one of
the 100 Best Places to Work by Computerworld.
What more is there to add? On the mill front,
IP acquired DS Smith’s packaging businesses
in Portugal and France. It has postponed its
US$300-million conversion of PM 15 in Selma,
AL, (from UFS to whitetop and containerboard).
Plus: will it make another play for Smurfit Kappa
Group in the upcoming months?
3 WALTER SCHALKA,
SUZANO
Q #   $   % &  
four-time winner of the Fastmarkets RISI Latin
American CEO of the Year Award, Schalka now
Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019
and oversupply. Suzano has announced
downtime that will take more than 1 million
metric tons off the market through 2019.
4 SUSUMU YAJIMA,
OJI HOLDINGS
'()*+(,./*) 0121 3)4(5 678 9: *;/ </(, :9,
2019, Susumu Yajima has led the company to
record sales and profit despite a deterioration
in Japan’s domestic printing paper markets
and severe weather events and earthquakes
last year. Net sales of the company are up
4.4% and net profits are up 43.5% on the
previous year. Oji credits the achievements
mainly to its expanded operations and better
prices for overseas pulp sales.
5 JUSSI PESONEN,
UPM
=>?@ABC D?EBC FGH@ IJKLBMC H@MNEMC@O PRS
and president of UPM, Pesonen, moves up
the list this year as he was recently awarded
Fastmarkets RISI European CEO of the Year.
One expert involved in his selection pointed to
his efforts to “transform UPM from a business
that was primarily focused on paper production
to one that has broadened its reach across
the pulp and paper sector.” Pesonen said in a
recent interview, “Innovation and continuous
exploration of new growth opportunities are
central to UPM’s operations.”
6 ANTHONY PRATT,
PRATT INDUSTRIES
T(,U 95 *;/ ;//V) 9: 4*) )WYY/)):WV +4VV
openings in Shreveport, LA, and Valparaiso,
IN, Pratt is set to open its fifth 100% recycled
corrugated medium and liner mill, this one
in Wapakoneta, OH. Able to make 360,000
risi.com | 3
*955/) Z[,\ *;/ *9*(V 45]/)*+/5* 4) (^9W*
US$275 million. Under Anthony Pratt’s
guidance, the company is the world’s largest
privately-held paper and packaging producer.
According to past statements, the company
has plans for further expansion.
7 JOHN WILLIAMS,
DOMTAR
_`a`bcd ef gehcbi`a jklm en foc gpqr
Executive of the Year, Williams was cited for
his ability to continually evaluate long-term
strategy while achieving short-term results. As
well as a prescient move into adult hygienic
care products, Domtar has found some success
with its nanocrystalline cellulose business,
CelluForce. A recent multi-million dollar project
helped CelluForce double its capacity. It says
something about Williams’ leadership in that
four other Domtar employees received PIMA
management awards during PaperCon.
8 CRISTIANO TEXEIRA,
KLABIN
s/t/4,( ;() (+^4*49W) uV(5) :9, vV(^45w T/
said the company is “more ready than ever”
to play a role in future packaging industry
M&A. In the next five years, the company
plans on spending US$2.3 billion on the Puma
II project that will see two more integrated
paper machines with a capacity of 920,000
tonnes / yr of linerboard. Plans are for the new
capacity to be sold in export markets such as
North America and Europe.
9 AMAZON
x@yH MNz?H@ Gz{?HHG|NB @? M@@B>} M>L
paper industry conference without hearing
one analyst or another talk about Amazon (as
well as other e-commerce players) and the
effect they have had on the packaging sector.
Its tendency to over-package goods (boxes
within boxes) has come under scrutiny and any
cutback could have an effect on the sector.
4 | risi.com
But e-commerce is here to stay and the biggest
player holds great sway over the market.
10
TEGUH WIJAYA,
APP
3)4( ~WVu  ~(u/, 5/]/, U9/) *;45€) 45 ;(V:
measures and the last 12 months are no
different. The Indonesian pulp and paper
giant has revealed plans to build the world’s
largest paper and board mill on the coast
of Andhra Pradesh, India. The proposed mill
would be able to produce 5 million metric
tpy and will cost around US$3.5 billion. The
greenfield development comes on the back
of strong growth predictions for domestic
demand in India, which is set to double over
the next decade. At the same time APP China
is has plans for a massive greenfield tissue
mill in Rudong county, Nantong city, with a
capacity of 780,000 tonnes / yr.
11 WU MINGWU, SHANYING
INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS
‚ƒ„ …†‚‡ˆƒ ‰‚ƒ„Š‚‡‹†„ˆƒ ŒŽ ƒ‚‘ ’“” •– „—†
year continues to lead Shanying International
Holdings from the front. The company is
forging ahead with its massive recycled
containerboard project in Jingzouh, Hubei
province, China, and has ordered a third
containerboard machine for the new mill.
The company also has plans for another two
recycled containerboard machines at the
mill, bringing it to a total of five machines.
The company is also reportedly planning a
large recycled board mill in Malaysia and has
entered into a purchase agreement for Verso’s
pulp and fine paper mill in Kentucky, US.
12
MATÍAS DOMEYKO,
ARAUCO
˜™š›œž Ÿ ›Ÿ Ÿ¡¢£ ¤œ¡ ¥¡ ¤¢ š¦ ¦œ§ §¢ ›œŸ
from seventh to third place as a major
supplier of eucalyptus pulp worldwide. This is
Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019

Ÿ¡š¨¡š›© £ œ §¢ §™œ ª¥«¥ Ÿ¡¢¬œ¤§­ ¨¬¢¡
expansion taking place at the company’s
Horcones site near Concepcion in central
Chile, which will start-up in early 2021.The
MAPA expansion will raise production at the
mill to 2.1 million tonnes / yr. The company
operates five mills in Chile, one in Argentina,
and has a joint venture in Uruguay with
Stora Enso.
13 KARL-HENRIK SUNDSTRÖM,
STORA ENSO
®¡¢¯§™ ž£ Ÿ¡¢°š§±š›š§© ¤¢ž§šž œ § ²§¢¡
Enso under Sundström’s leadership with
sales increasing last year by 4.4% and
operational EBITA by an impressive 32%. The
company prides itself on innovation in all
areas of business; one of the latest products
launched is a new sustainable RFID tag, ECO,
which is designed for intelligent packaging
functionalities in supply chain, retail, and
e-commerce applications. Stora Enso has
also entered a partnership with H&M Group
and Inter Ikea Group to industrialize new
textile fibers.
14 ILKKA HÄMÄLÄ,
METSÄ GROUP
T³,+³V³ ;() 59´ €9* ;4) ://* :4,+V[ W5U/,
the table as Metsä Group CEO after taking
over from long-term CEO Kari Jordan in early
2018, and the innovation and expansion
projects are becoming even more numerous.
Among many new things going on at the
Finnish company—and on the back of
the enormous success of the Äänekoski
bioproduct mill startup in 2017—there are
ongoing plans for another new bioproduct
mill on the company’s existing site at Kemi
in Finland’s Lapland. Subject to approvals,
Metsä will build a Euro 1.5 billion (US$1.68
billion) bioproduct mill with a pulp capacity
of 1.5 million tonnes / yr.
Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019
15
TONY SMURFIT,
SMURFIT KAPPA GROUP
2+W,:4* v(uu( ;() ^//5 /t*,/+/V[ (Y*4]/ 95
the acquisition front over the last year, as
well as investing in upgrades and expansions
at various mills. Its latest acquisitions are
in eastern Europe with two integrated
packaging operations in Bulgaria, Balkanpack
EOOD and Vitavel AD. This adds to the
completion of its acquisition of Parenco
in the middle of last year and purchase of
Serbian containerboard mill Fabrika Hartije
and corrugated plant Avala Ada late last
year. In December last year it also announced
the acquisition of Europac’s Caradec plants
and Papcart in France. All eyes are on
another possible move by International Paper
to acquire the company.
16 CELLULOSIC DERIVED
TEXTILES
s;/[ (VV )//+ *9 ^/ (* 4*µ´/VV\ ( V9* 9:
the pulp producers, anyway—looking for
in-roads into the textile market as it rapidly
becomes clear that clothing and fabrics
made from oil-based fibers are having a
huge negative impact on the world’s oceans.
Research tells us that 70% of all micro plastic
pollution is coming from clothing and textiles.
Also, growing cotton for textiles is being
proved environmentally bad due to excessive
water demands. A lot of innovative wood-
based R&D is taking place in universities,
research institutions, and companies in a
race to capture a potentially huge market
as textile production looks to hit 140 million
tonnes / yr by 2025.
17
THE PAPER STRAW (AND
SHOT GUN PAPER SHELLS)
¶AB A·z|NB {M{BC H@CME AMH HBBzG>¸NL {·@
the paper industry on the map like no other
promotional campaign ever could. Major
fast food brands are ditching plastic straws
risi.com | 5
B> zMHHB ¹CBH{?>HG|NLO EB A?{Bº» M>} @AB
paper straw business is suddenly booming.
Newspapers and TV programs across the
world are telling everyone what we in the
industry have known for years— paper is
environmentally awesome! Government
legislation is also helping; the latest, the UK,
is implementing a total ban on selling plastic
straws, drink stirrers, and cotton swabs with
plastic stems from early next year. Word has it
that all EU countries are set to follow with the
ban. Interestingly, and according to Garden
& Gun magazine, shotgun paper shells are
making a huge comeback for skeet aficionados
due to nostalgia and for environmental reasons
benefit as they are also replacing plastic.
18
MILES ROBERTS,
DS SMITH
¼()* [/(,½) '()*+(,./*) 7W,9u/(5 678 9:
the Year, Roberts is leading from the front
in the mission to replace plastics with fiber-
based alternatives, particularly in European
supermarkets. The company’s recent research
found that 1.5 million tonnes / yr of plastic
could be replaced each year from only five
areas within supermarkets across Europe. The
report, “Transforming the Supermarket Aisle”,
identified fresh produce containers and shrink
wrap as two of the items supermarkets could
replace with renewable materials. DS Smith
announced the agreed disposal of its own
plastics division earlier in the year.
19 WILLIAM KRESS,
GREEN BAY PACKAGING
¾   #¿& &% À ÁÀÂ
Kress is the third generation to lead GPK since
it was founded in 1933 by George Kress. The
company is in the midst of a massive US$600-
million expansion project replacing its 71-year-
old mill with a new state-of-the-art facility that
will produce 685,000 tonnes /yr of 100% recycled
liner and corrugating medium on one 300-in.
6 | risi.com
trim machine. Startup is slated for early 2021.
The Kress family also should be recognized for
its devotion to occupational health and safety,
being a long-time and generous supporter of
the Pulp and Paper Safety Association.
20
US PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION
à    ÄÅ $ 
history continues to dominate headlines.
Despite being almost 18 months away, the 2020
election is a favorite topic of discussion in all
media outlets. By press time, 21 Democrats had
already announced their candidacy. No doubt
this election will dominate news and generate
countless pages of newspapers, magazines, and
Special Reports in the months to come.
21 STEVE VOORHEES,
WESTROCK
P?zG>¸ ?ÆÆ M> BÇÈBNNB>@ JÉ JÊIË M>} EG@A
the Kapstone takeover behind it, WestRock
continues to roll along. It recently won
a NextGen Challenge Cup Award for its
development of a recyclable, compostable hot /
cold beverage cup. It has also earned several
design awards for its innovative packaging.
It has just acquired the UBS Printing Group,
strengthening its footprint in the beauty,
personal care and nutraceutical sectors and
increasing its presence on the West Coast.
22 LI HONGXIN,
SUN PAPER
2;(5U95€ 2W5 ~(u/, 15UW)*,[ Y95*45W/) 4*)
unstoppable march onwards at home and
abroad; it recently started up two brand new
machines at its Honghe Paper subsidiary in
Zoucheng, China, PM 36 and PM 37. PM 36 is
making low-grammage, high-grade testliner
and PM37 is making corrugating medium.
Elsewhere, the firm continues to have success
with its first project outside of China: its pulp
Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019
+4VV 45 ¼(9) )*(,*/U Wu V()* [/(,\ (5U Y(5
swing between kraft pulp and dissolving pulp
according to market conditions. Sun Paper is
still working on plans for the proposed US$1
billion bio-products mill in Clark County, AR,
and is waiting on environmental permits.
23 JIM FISH,
WASTE MANAGEMENT
DBCAM{H >?@ H? z·ÈA M> G>}GÌG}·MN NGH@G>¸O
this entry encompasses the state of the US
recycling industry, especially in light of Chinese
policies. Waste Management recently bought
Advanced Disposal, the number 4 company in
the sector, in a US$4.9-billion deal. Perhaps the
deal will bring some needed scale to help the
country grapple with what one observer calls,
“Some fundamental changes to how waste/
recyclables are collected/processed/disposed
of now in the US.” Advanced Disposal had a
strong footprint in the populous Eastern US.
24
RAYMOND LEE,
LEE & MAN
ÍW)45/)) :9, ¼//  Î(5 Y95*45W/) *9 ^99+
with revenues increasing by nearly 25
percent for 2018. The group’s focus lies in the
development of various types of linerboard,
corrugating medium, coated duplex board
and tissue. Packaging paper is the mainstay
of its business with production of 6.03
million tonnes / yr last year. Tissue production
was 795,000 tonnes / yr last year which will
increase as new lines come on stream this
year. Fastmarkets RISI has reported that the
company plans to build a 700,000 tonnes / yr
packaging paper mill and 550,000 tonnes / yr
recycled pulp mill in Malaysia.
25
MARIO PLOURDE,
CASCADES
s;4) 4) ( Y9+u(5[ *;(* 5/]/, )*9u)
innovating, no matter the business. It has
Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019
just started up a new coating line at its
Birmingham, AL, converting plant, part of
its joint venture with Sonoco. The US$16-
million line was installed to advantage the
JV’s proprietary water-based coatings. In
2018, Cascades acquired the White Birch mill
in Bear Island, VA. The plan was for White
Birch to continue making newsprint under
a 27-month lease. However, it has since
decided to leave earlier. Cascades will convert
the machine to lightweight linerboard
following the success of its Greenpac mill in
Niagara Falls, NY.
26
CHRISTIAN FISHER,
GEORGIA-PACIFIC
Ï4*; 4*) /t4* :,9+ *;/ Y9++W54Y(*495 u(u/,)
business (to the surprise of some), and the
announcement of two new tissue machines
in the next two years, G-P has firmly decided
where it wants to be in the market. It
also sold its European airlaid business to
Glatfelter. Along with its well-known tissue
brands, GP is a leading packaging paper
producer. Its building products segment
continues to grow with the recent opening of
a US$100-million lumber facility in Alabama.
It also increased its presence in specialty pulp
when it announced plans in 2018 to convert
its Foley, FL, mill (acquired in the takeover of
Buckeye) to totally dissolving pulp.
27 
PETER OSWALD,
MONDI
8)´(VU (uu/(,) *9 ^/ U945€ ( )*/,V45€ Ð9^
as Mondi CEO: revenue is up 5% and EBITA
rose by 19% in 2018. In a recent financial
summary, Oswald says the strong results are
due to good demand across fiber packaging
businesses, higher than average selling prices
and the contribution of recent acquisitions.
In 2018 Mondi started up the Euro 335 million
(US$374 million) modernization of its kraft
paper facility at Steti. The company recently
risi.com | 7
(559W5Y/U ( 7W,9 ÑÒ +4VV495 ÓÔ2ÕÒÖ +4VV495×
conversion of a containerboard machine also
at Steti to produce MF specialty kraft paper
grades with a mix of recycled and virgin fiber
for the production of shopping bags.
28 LUIGI LAZZARESCHI,
SOFIDEL
sustainable packaging and cooking solutions.
On the investment side, it announced a 6-year,
US$350-million program at the Augusta, GA,
SBS mill it acquired from IP.
31 STEVE BINNIE,
SAPPI
ß

à à à
  Û  ÛÛ
á âÛÛ
ØÙ Ù
Ú

Ú Û

Ù Ü



 is at the sharp end of the decline in demand
mill in Ohio and another mill set to open
soon in Oklahoma, Sofidel is well on its way
to becoming a power in the US private label
tissue industry. And that won’t be the end
of it; sooner or later, Lazzareschi said the
company will need to add a TAD machine.
Another priority will be extending the
company’s reach in the US with the Pacific
Northwest being a potential region of interest.
29 ULF LARSSON,
SCA
s;/,/½) ( V9* €945€ 95 (* 263 () 4* /tu(5U)
and progresses. Earlier this year the King of
Sweden inaugurated SCA’s Östrand pulp mill
near Sundsvall after the Helios project that
has seen it double in capacity to 900,000
(from 8-13 percent this year); however, it is
still a valuable business that needs careful
managing. In Sappi’s case this means
exporting paper from its mills in Europe to the
US to maintain profitability. Fortunately, the
company has diversified into specialty papers
and dissolving pulp, both of which are growth
areas. The company recently added 30,000
tons of dissolving pulp capacity to its Cloquet,
MN, mill in the US. Sappi’s Maastricht Mill in
the Netherlands was in the news recently as it
won the 2018 Technical Innovation Awards for
its Multilayer Headbox project.
32
KEN LIU,
ND PAPER
-
ãâ Úä
å 

Ù 

tonnes / yr. The mill makes bleached softwood
kraft pulp, which makes Östrand the biggest
of its kind in the world. SCA is now looking
to construct a biorefinery at the same site;
environmental permits have been applied for.
Other expansion projects are ongoing at its
Obbola and Munksund mills.
30 MICHAEL DOSS,
GRAPHIC PACKAGING
ÝG@A H?NG} ÆGCH@ Þ·MC@BC CBH·N@H MÈAGBÌB}O
Graphic Packaging has been approved to join
Amazon’s Packaging Support and Supplier
Network. The company also earned the
Packaging and Paperboard Council’s Folding
Carton of the Year Award in 2018. The company
has been in the forefront in the development of
8 | risi.com
Dragons, the company continues to grow. It
added its fourth mill (Old Town, ME) to go
along with assets in West Virginia, Wisconsin,
and Rumford, ME. For its efforts, the Maine
International Trade Center named ND Paper
its Foreign Direct Investor of the Year. This year
should see the company execute its strategy
for the US with conversions and grade shifts.
33 MAGNUS GROTH,
ESSITY
ÍW)45/)) Y95*45W/) *9 €9 45 *;/ ,4€;* U4,/Y*495
at tissue and hygiene giant Essity. Headed
by Groth, early results this year show sales
increased by 9% and operating profits went
up to 9.1 percent. The company recently
announced investment in an integrated
Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019
:(Y4V4*[ :9, *;/ u,9UWY*495 9: uWVu ^()/U
on alternative fiber from plant-based
agricultural by-products. The location of the
new facility will be at Essity’s tissue plant
in Mannheim, Germany, with production
expected to start in the second half of 2020.
34
MARK KOWLZAN,
PACKAGING CORPORATION
OF AMERICA
3 ,/Y/5* ~1Î3 7t/YW*4]/ 9: *;/ </(, (5U 0121
North American CEO of the Year, Kowlzan
heads a continually growing paper and board
company with more than 5 million tonnes / yr
of capacity. Its white paper division acquired
from Boise continues to prosper. It recently
converted one white paper machine at its
Wallula, WA, mill to produce linerboard. It has
also expanded its box making capacity with
the building of two new box plants.
35 JÜRGEN HEINDL,
PROGROUP
s;/,/ 4) (V´([) )9+/*;45€ 5/´ ;(uu/545€
at Progroup. Earlier this year the German
company started up a Euro 85 million (US$97
million) sheetfeeding plant in the UK that
will produce 235,000 metric tpy corrugated
board. Meanwhile, work continues on what
the company is describing as the “world’s
most modern paper factory” in the state of
Saxony-Halt in Germany. The new mill will
have an annual capacity of 750,000 tonnes /
yr, which will increase Progroup’s total annual
production to 1.85 million metric tpy.
36 KATHY BUCKMAN GIBSON,
BUCKMAN
ÍWY.+(5 æ4^)95 ´() )/V/Y*/U () Ï9+/5
of the Year by TAPPI’s Women in Industry
Division for good reason. She has been a
well-known and respected figure in the
industry for more than 25 years. She has
Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019
helped the cause of diversity within the
industry immensely. In 2018, she started
KBG Technologies, a joint venture between
herself and Buckman, where she is an owner
and director. KBG Technologies is a certified
woman-owned business providing chemistries
and smart technologies to the pulp and
paper and water treatment industries.
37 BREXIT
1* );9WVU ;(]/ ^//5 U95/ (5U UW)*/U
by now—at least according to last year’s
Power List, when we said the UK split from
the European Union will “finally take place
in March (2019).” But alas, chaos continues
to reign as an extension has been given,
and then, just as we went to press with this
year's Power List, Prime Minister Theresa May
resigned. This means even more confusion
and chaos for the island nation, but
hopefully, next year—soft or hard, in or out—
the whole tiresome affair will be over.
38 HEIDI BROCK,
AF&PA
痆 Š†‡è‚‘ ‰•‡†ƒ„ é ê‚놇 ƒƒ•è‚„•‘
(AF&PA) recently announced that Heidi
Brock will succeed Donna Harman as its new
president and CEO. Harman served as head of
the AF&PA for 12 years and has announced her
retirement. Brock joins from the Aluminum
Association where she was president and
CEO for eight years. However, she is returning
to her roots; Brock formerly served as vice
president of Federal and International Affairs
at Weyerhaeuser where she held a number of
positions over the course of 18 years service.
39 PHILIP RUNDLE,
SUSTANA
s;4) Y9+u(5[ 4) (59*;/, 9: *;9)/ *;(*
has come up with the answer to an issue
that has long vexed the environmentalist:
the unrecyclable take-out coffee cup. Its
risi.com | 9
,/Y[YV/U uWVu V45/\ 75]4,9V4:/\ ;() ^//5 Ô2 'ì3
approved for food contact. It has initiated
a Cup-to-Cup project with Starbucks. It
also produces recycled fine paper that
has attracted an elite group of customers
including Ford and Cirque du Soleil.
40 MIKE HSU,
KIMBERLY-CLARK
s;/ Y9+u(5[ ,/Y/5*V[ (559W5Y/U *´9 +9,/
major tissue investments: US$115 million
at Beech Island, SC; and US$120 million in
Jenkins, OK. K-C was honored as one of
NAFE’s 2019 Top Companies for Executive
Women. However, Hsu’s leadership mettle
will be tested as the company is under the
gun from unions for its global restructuring
plan and from NGOs (again) after the NRDC
released its report “The Issue with Tissue.”
Still, Corporate Responsibility magazine
name K-C to its 100 Best Corporate Citizens
Ranking, recognizing environmental,
social, and governance transparency and
performance.
41 MIGUEL RINCON,
BIO-PAPPEL
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International CEO of the Year during the
PPI Awards. Mexico’s largest paper and
corrugated packaging producer, Bio-
Pappel is known for its strong sustainability
performance. Rincon was cited for the
company’s acquisition of Scribe, the largest
integrated white papers company in Mexico
and Latin America. Its US subsidiary, McKinley
Paper, recently purchased the Port Angeles,
WA, mill from Nippon Paper Industries, and is
converting it to produce containerboard.
42 THE “GREEN NEW DEAL”
ñòó ôõóö ÷ø öù óú÷ù÷ûôú üýôûþÿþü
packaged designed to nudge US policy—
and consumer behavior—away from non-
10 | risi.com
renewables has been around for a while;
yet the idea really took hold after the
2018 mid-term elections, when freshman
congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(Dem-NY) called for formation of a
committee tasked with creating a “detailed
national, industrial, economic mobilization
plan” to move the US economy toward
carbon neutrality. With goals focused
on “clean” manufacturing, water
and energy use reduction, renewable
energy, and sustainable building and
transportation, any resulting legislation
is sure to impact our industry, and may
present a host of new market opportunities
for sustainable materials.
43 JON KEPPLER,
ENVIVA
Zž š  š¦ §™œ ¯¢¡›£
¦ ›¡œ¦§ Ÿ¡¢£ ¤œ¡ ¢°
wood pellets, with annual production of
more than three million tonnes / yr. It has
seven production plants in the southeastern
US. Keppler has been in the forefront of
pushing wood biomass as a solution to
climate change. With the debate about
the issue becoming more urgent, Enviva is
poised for more growth, but does the pulp
and paper industry see wood pellets as a
competitor for fiber?
44 JOHN BEGLEY,
COLUMBIA PULP
35 /Y9V9€4)*½) U,/(+\ *;/ *,//X:,// uWVu uV(5*
has long been promoted in North America.
Some have tried but success was not to
be. Now, it is about to become a reality as
Columbia Pulp (eastern Washington) is set to
start up in mid-2019. Using wheat straw as a
furnish, the mill uses the proprietary “Phoenix
process” developed by Sustainable Fiber
Technologies. This mill promises to be only the
first step in the increased use of agri-waste
as a pulp furnish in the US.
Fastmarkets RISI Top 50 Power List 2019
45 LARRY MONTAGUE,
TAPPI
15 */,+) 9: +/+^/,X^()/U ())9Y4(*495)
representing the industry, TAPPI continues to
lead the way with a portfolio that includes an
array of conferences covering subjects from
nano to corrugated. Its technical standards
are followed the world over. It has also
branched out to complementary association
management for such organizations as
PIMA, ASPI, and the IFPTA. Under Montague’s
leadership, the membership has grown and
finances are on a strong footing.
48 AKIRA ISOGAI,
UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
3) u,/)4U/5* 9: *;/ (59Y/VVWV9)/ '9,W+
and winner of the Wallenberg Prize as
well as many other technical awards,
Isogai has helped Japan become a
leader in nanocellulose research and
commercialization of the technologies.
49 GEORGE R. R. MARTIN,
AUTHOR, GAME OF THRONES
s;/ :4,)* :4]/ 59]/V) 45 Î(,*45½) u,9u9)/U
seven-volume A Song of Ice and Fire series

46 LARS IDERMARK,
SÖDRA
1*½) ^//5 ( €99U [/(, )9 :(, *;/ 2´/U4);
total more than 4,000 pages of dragon-
filled fantasy and are solid international
best-sellers. At press time, social media
was buzzing with disappointment over
market pulp giant: net sales are up 11% and
the finale of the immensely popular HBO
operating profit rose by 22%. Idermark says
Game of Thrones series, which had leap-
that the increase in profits are due to the
frogged ahead of the books; the fan-fire
production facilities “delivering an excellent
will undoubtedly foment interest in how the
performance.” Södra recently invested SEK 20
master himself resolves the stories. All of
million (about US$2.1 million) for sustainable
transport solutions as part of its process to Westeros had better start planting trees.
be totally fossil-free by 2030.

47 HEATHER REISMAN,
INDIGO BOOKS
50 CASEY AND PAGE,
PAPER & PACKAGING BOARD
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philanthropist is CEO of her country’s largest
retail bookstore chain, and is credited by the
NY Times with “reinventing the way books
are sold,” marketing gifts and home items
alongside related titles. Indigo’s success—the
company reported 2018 revenues topping
CAD$1 billion (about US$744 million)—is good
news for an industry invested in positioning
print products as desirable lifestyle necessities.
! 
of the P&PB’s “How Life Unfolds” campaign.
Our industry makes beneficial products and
has a great story to tell, but we’ve got to
stop preaching to the choir. This campaign
gets the word out in print advertising, TV
commercials (even during the Superbowl!),
and social media engagement. Like
Paper360° readers, these two do their part
every day to keep our facilities running—and
that deserves recognition.
 
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