Walki is reorganising its Business Areas as well as its Group Executive Teams to be better equipped to meet customers’ future demands for sustainable material solutions.
Walki has actively invested in new technologies and product solutions to create an extended platform for producing a new generation of sustainable material solutions.
In order to speed up the commercialization of new food packaging solutions and streamline the integration with Oji Holdings, Walki is reorganising its Business Areas. The new Business Areas will further sharpen the company’s customer focus, speed up the implementation of new solutions and accelerate growth and shareholder value creation.
The present Industrial Packaging area will be renamed to Packaging Materials and will include all packaging businesses where the main customers are packaging converters or paper producers, including reel packaging, ream wrapping, industrial liners, barrier board and flexible materials.
The new Consumer Packaging Business Area will focus on end user segments such as brand owners and retailers with the business lines flexible packaging and films & bags.
The present Business Area Engineered Materials will remain unchanged and will continue to focus on non-packaging material businesses through the present business lines construction facings, construction membranes and technical products.
“With these changes we aim to enhance the focus on our five main customer archetypes: brand owners, retailers, secondary packaging converters, paper and board producers and construction material companies”, says Leif Frilund, President and CEO of Walki Group.
“By bringing most of our extrusion coating activities into the new Business Area Packaging Materials and under one leadership, we expect improved efficiencies in both production and customer service through a more coordinated cooperation between plants”, says Frilund.
The re-organization of the Business Areas will also bring changes in the leadership of the new operating set up with Kari Salminen, presently Executive Vice President of the Business Area Engineered Materials, taking over as Executive Vice President of the new Business Area Packaging Materials. He will also continue in his role as Deputy CEO of Walki Group.
Marko Siltala, currently Executive Vice President of the Business Area Industrial Packaging, has been appointed to Executive Vice President of the Business Area Engineered Materials. Siltala will continue to oversee the Lean Operations function, including HSE and Continuous Improvement activities.
Annika Sundell, presently Executive Vice President of the Innovation and Sustainability functions will be appointed Executive Vice President of the new Business Area Consumer Packaging, in addition to her role as Executive Vice President of Innovation and Sustainability.
“Combining the leadership of the Innovation activities and the new Business Area Consumer Packaging will speed up commercialization especially of new fiber-based and recyclable flexible packaging solutions. The Consumer Packaging area is now set to spearhead the development of new sustainable packaging alternatives through innovative barrier solutions and other high-performance materials”, says Frilund.
Kari Salminen, Annika Sundell and Marko Siltala will be part of the Group Executive Team (GET), and will continue to report to Leif Frilund.
Nikolaus Wolfram, presently Executive Vice President of the Business Area Consumer Packaging has decided to leave Walki to assume a position in another company.
“Nikolaus Wolfram has been instrumental in developing our Consumer Packaging Business Area and we wish him the best in his future endeavors”, says Frilund.
As of October1, 2024, the GET will be composed of the following members;
- Leif Frilund, Chair
- Wolfgang Thissen, Finance, HR, ICT and M&A
- Kari Salminen, Packaging Materials
- Annika Sundell, Consumer Packaging, Innovation and Sustainability
- Marko Siltala, Engineered Materials, HSE and Lean Operations
- Timo Finnström, Sourcing
- Mats Holti, Technology and Investments
- Teruyuki Mori, Senior Advisor
- Naotaka Ono, Senior Advisor
- Hiroshi Oinaga, Senior Advisor
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