2007-10-26

New Group structure and organization for Walki

In order to clarify responsibilities and to speed up the decision making, Walki Group will reorganize its Group structure from the current four Strategic Business Areas and two Operations entities into three separate profit units or Business areas. These three Business areas are Paper packaging, Consumer board and Technical products. The Business areas will be responsible for their respective sales and marketing, production and product development functions. The leaders of the Business areas will have full profit and loss responsibility and a mandate to significantly improve the present performance and to grow the existing businesses.

Business area Paper Packaging will consist of the product groups Reel and Ream wrappings and will operate the following plants; Pietarsaari, Jülich, Changshu and Converflex. The plants Steinfurt and Garstang will be a part of the Business area Consumer board, which comprises the product groups Barrier board and Barrier lining. Technical products Business area will run the Valkeakoski plant, including the product groups Flexible packaging, Heavy duty wrapping, Insulation and Construction facing materials and Technical papers.

This new organizational structure is effective as of November 1st, 2007

Management appointments


Paper packaging
Gunilla Laakso, currently Director of SBA Barrier Lining and Technical papers, is appointed Vice President and General Manager of the Business Area Paper Packaging. She will continue to be based in Pietarsaari.

Arno Wolff, presently Director of SBA Paper Packaging is appointed Vice President, Sales & Marketing of the Business area, reporting to Gunilla Laakso. Arno will continue to be located in Jülich.

Consumer board
Wolfgang Thissen, currently Director of Operations Central Europe, is appointed Vice President and General Manager of the Business area Consumer Board and will be based in Steinfurt.

David Ingham, currently Director of SBA Barrier board, is appointed Vice President, Sales & Marketing of the Business area. David will report to Wolfgang Thissen and will be based in Garstang.

Technical products
Teijo Nurminen, presently Director of SBA Specialitiy Products, is appointed Vice President and General Manager of Business area Technical products. Teijo will continue to be based in Valkeakoski

Group functions
Mats Holti, currently Director of Operations Finland, is appointed Vice President, Technology. In his new role, Mats will assume responsibility for the Group's technical development and R&D-activities (innovation), investment coordination, operations improvement and OHSAS-activities. He will continue to be located in Pietarsaari.

Ari Rinkinen, Vice President and Deputy CEO will continue to be responsible for Marketing, Sales network and Business development

Timo Finnström, Vice President and CFO will continue in his role as responsible for Financials, Administration, Human resources and Information technology

To be able to utilize the full potential of the Group purchasing power, a new function Sourcing and purchasing will be created. The leader of this strategically important function will be appointed later.

The heads of the Business areas and the Group function leaders will report to the CEO.

Information about the company: Walki Oy