Shortlist announced for Pulp & Paper International (PPI) Awards 2023

Winners to be announced at dedicated awards ceremony in Prague, alongside European Conference

Fastmarkets Forest Products (formerly known as RISI), the leading information provider for the global forest products industry, has today announced the shortlist of potential winners of the 2023 Pulp & Paper International (PPI) Awards programme. The final winners will be revealed and receive their trophies at the 2023 PPI Awards dinner and ceremony on the 8th March in Prague, Czech Republic, at the Marriot Hotel.

Matt Graves, Senior Vice President, Forest Products Indices welcomed the number of submissions received.

“We are delighted by the fantastic number of entries received for the 14th PPI Awards; we have seen a really high caliber of entries, with submissions coming from across the world. I would like to thank all the individuals and companies who have taken the time to enter these prestigious awards which recognize the great work the industry is engaged in. I would also like to thank our judging panel for their time and effort in determining this year’s shortlist and winners. Good luck to everyone who made the shortlist, we’re looking forward to seeing the winners unveiled in Prague.”

Now in their 14th year, the awards recognize the achievements of companies, mills and individuals in the pulp, packaging and paper sector. The shortlist for each category is judged against rigorous criteria by an industry-leading panel of experts, together with senior Fastmarkets Forest Products analysts and editors.

Judges for the 2023 awards are Jan Bottiglieri, Editorial Director, Paper360o, Heidi Brock, President & CEO, American Forest & Paper Association, Tero Eerikainen, Economist – European Packaging Papers, Fastmarkets, Marina Faleiros, Managing Editor – Latin America, Fastmarkets, Mary Anne Hansan, President, Paper and Packaging Board, Ville Hentonnen, Director Mill Intelligence (EMEA), Fastmarkets, Jorge Luzuriaga, Counsellor, Amexiccor, Nicholas Mockett, Partner, Moorgate Capital, Jonathan Roberts, Partner, Pryor Roberts Communications, UK, Jori Ringman, Director General, CEPI, Mark Rushton, Editorial Consultant and head judge Alejandro Mata, Director – European Packaging and Graphic Paper, Fastmarkets.

The PPI Awards will be announced at a gala dinner scheduled on Wednesday, 8th March, in Prague, Czech Republic; the Awards sit alongside and in the same venue as the annual Forest Products European Conference.

The shortlist for the 2023 PPI Awards, by category, is as follows:

International CEO of the Year

Andrew King – CEO, Mondi Group
Cristiano Teixeira – CEO, Klabin
Mark Kowlzan – CEO, Packaging Corporation of America (PCA)
Steve Binnie – CEO, Sappi
Tony Smurfit – CEO, Smurfit Kappa

Risk & Safety Award 2023

J K PAPER
Middle East Paper Company (MEPCO)
Smurfit Kappa – 100 Stories on Safety
Smurfit Kappa – Accident & Safety

Sustainability Leadership

Klabin
Mondi Group
Progroup AG
Smurfit Kappa – HYFLEXPOWER
Smurfit Kappa – Nettingsdorf
Smurfit Kappa – Waste to energy

Digital Innovation

ANDRITZ AG
Klabin
Smurfit Kappa – Automation
Smurfit Kappa – P2P Optimization
Smurfit Kappa – Todo Carton
Smurfit Kappa – Townsend Hook

Industry Woman of the Year

Annica Bresky – CEO, Stora Enso
Anu Ahola – Senior Vice President – Operations, UPM
Beatrix Praeceptor – Chief Procurement Officer, Mondi Group
Gabriele Schallegger – Chief Financial Officer, MM Board & Paper
Viv McMenamin – CEO, Mondi South Africa
Serena Pieraccioli, Vice President and Commercial Director, Global Pulp Group (European Region), Central National Gottesman Europe

Product Innovation

Mondi Group
Smurfit Kappa – Click-to-Lock
Smurfit Kappa – Extrusions
Smurfit Kappa – HoneyComb Pallets SK1
Smurfit Kappa – ÓPTIMA
Smurfit Kappa – Rollor Premium Design

Green Energy and Biofuels

Ence – Energía y Celulosa
Klabin
Smurfit Kappa – HYFLEXPOWER
Smurfit Kappa – Nettingsdorf

Mill Manager of the Year

Armin Schmidt – General Manager, Hürth Mill – UPM
Shri Vinay Dwivedi – Executive Vice President (Works), J K PAPER MILLS
Georg Streif – Production Coordinator, Kehl site, Koehler Paper SE
Mario Amaral – Manager, Viana Paper Mill, DS Smith
Abdulrazik Aksalani – Plant Manager, MEPCO
Gottfried Joham – Managing Director, Mondi Frantschach, Mondi Group

Good luck to all those on the shortlist and we hope to see you at the PPI Awards!