Paper 360
At this year’s PaperCon, TAPPI’s PIMA Division is collaborating with Paper360° magazine to put together a panel representing the global presence of the industry.
The Executive Panel session will take place Monday, April 16, from 10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Held right after the keynote presentation, the Executive Panel is one of PaperCon’s most popular and well-attended sessions.
“We’re excited to be working with PIMA to present a session that will really benefit attendees,” says Paper360° Editorial Director Jan Bottiglieri. “The focus will be on industry issues, trends, and leadership perspective, with plenty of room for interaction from the audience. These leaders are well-equipped to address our conference theme, ‘Shaping the Future through Innovation.’”
Following very brief introductions, the conversation will be co-moderated by Paper360° Senior Editors Graeme Rodden and Mark Rushton. Both bring decades of industry experience to the stage, and plan to lead an issues-oriented discussion that addresses industry concerns from a global perspective.
The final panel is expected to include 3-5 executive-level leaders from the manufacturing, customer, and supplier sides of the industry. The panel will uniquely represent the management focus that PIMA is known for, as well as provide the “360-degree view” that is an editorial hallmark of Paper360° magazine.
As of press time, confirmed panelists are:
Michael D. Garcia, Domtar
President, Pulp and Paper Division
Michael Garcia has held his current role since May, 2014. He has more than 20 years of international management experience in paper, steel, and aluminum manufacturing and marketing on three continents. Prior to joining Domtar, Garcia was CEO of Evraz Highveld Steel & Vanadium, in Emalahleni, South Africa.
Garcia has management oversight and responsibility for Domtar’s manufacturing and marketing of pulp and paper. The division operates a network of 13 mills in the US and Canada and sells pulp and paper in more than 50 countries. Domtar cultivates a corporate culture that is agile and innovative; on the Executive Panel, Garcia will share the strategies that mark this company as an industry leader. Garcia is a returning panelist.
Andreas Tuerk, BASF SE
Senior VP, Paper and Water Chemicals
Andreas Tuerk joined BASF in 2009 as senior vice president, global pigment restructuring, where he was responsible for the profitability strategy, restructuring, and repositioning of a pigment portfolio worth more than 1 billion Euros. Tuerk took his current post in 2016; prior to joining BASF, he was with Ciba. A seasoned global manager with experience in P&L management, strategy development, global restructuring, and business transformation, Tuerk will share a dynamic international perspective with PaperCon attendees. He is based in Germany.
BASF is the world’s leading supplier of chemicals to the paper and board industry. Its portfolio of paper chemicals includes process chemicals that optimize costs and increase machine efficiency, functional chemicals that lend specific properties, and coating chemicals that improve the appearance and performance of finished paper and board.
Berry Wiersum, Sappi Europe SA
Chief Executive Officer
Berry Wiersum joined Sappi Europe in January 2007 as chief executive officer. He started his career at ICI Fibres, and served as president of Amoco Fabrics (Europe) and then president of Amoco Chemicals (Europe). When Amoco was taken over by BP, he assisted in the integration of the two groups in Europe. He then joined Pechiney SA in France and ran the CEBAL packaging division; he later joined Kappa Packaging BV as managing director, Packaging Division, and member of the Management Board.
Wiersum served as chairman of CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries) from 2009-2011. He was honored as RISI’s International CEO of the Year Award for 2017. According to one nominator, “Wiersum has shown real leadership in adapting to change with the focus on cost control and the increase in the production of specialty papers.”
Bring your questions!
The PaperCon 2018 Executive Panel offers an excellent opportunity for TAPPI members and other industry professionals to hear first-hand perspectives from industry leaders. This year, the moderators are seeking input from attendees both before and during the session.
If you have questions you would like the panel to address, please email them to Jan Bottiglieri at [email protected]. You can find up-to-date information regarding the Executive Panel and panelists on the PaperCon website, www.papercon.org.
Attendees line up to ask questions at the 2017 PaperCon Executive Panel.