Sappi North America Announces New Leadership in Somerset Mill and Throughout Organization

BOSTON – Sappi North America has announced several management changes throughout the organization and at its Somerset Pulp and Paper Mill in Skowhegan, ME. In the spirit of augmenting a strong leadership team, Somerset's former Managing Director, Mike Haws, will be stepping into the role of Vice President of Manufacturing with responsibility for Somerset, Cloquet, Allentown, Safety, Research and Development and Customer Care. Haws has successfully led the manufacturing organization in an interim capacity since June, and has proven his capabilities as an executive leader.

Several additional roles have been awarded to well-regarded corporate leaders throughout the organization, signifying a company-wide interest in infusing operations with new energy and ideas. John Donahue, former Vice President of Manufacturing has accepted his new role as Vice President, Central and Wood Procurement; Anne Ayer as Vice President, Fiber Resources and Corporate Development; Annette Luchene as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with an expanded role leading Sappi North America's Information Technology organization; Jennifer Miller as Chief Business Sustainability Officer; and Deece Hannigan Vice President of Coated and Packaging Business with responsibility for Marketing, Supply Chain, Logistics and Coated Inside Sales.

Tony Ouellette, former production manager at the Somerset Pulp and Paper Mill, will now serve as Managing Director. As a veteran of the paper production industry with more than 30 years of hands-on experience, his promotion within the company is another example of the strong organizational changes that promise continued growth and increased efficiency across multiple divisions.

"Sappi has been committed to constant evolution since its inception," said Mark Gardner, President and CEO of Sappi North America. "We also believe strongly in promoting talent from within, and we're tremendously excited to see where our experienced and dedicated corporate leaders will take the organization over the next few years. Mike, Tony and the rest of our newly appointed leadership know this industry inside and out, and we have every confidence in their skills and ability to continue propelling Sappi forward in new and interesting ways."

About Sappi North America

Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston and a subsidiary of global pulp and paper group Sappi Limited, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our four diversified businesses – high quality Coated Graphic Papers, Specialised Cellulose, Release Papers and Specialty Packaging – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high quality Coated Graphic Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Specialised Cellulose used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods, and one of the world's leading suppliers of Release Papers with our Ultracast and Classics lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. Our Specialty Packaging products, such as LusterPrint and LusterCote, represent an important asset in the food packaging and labeling industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.

Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 13,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na.

Contact a Sappi Representative

Olga Karagiannis

+1 617 423 5049

Olga.Karagiannis@sappi.com