On January 1, 2022, Ilkka Hämälä will become the new president of Cepi, the Brussels-based confederation of the pulp and paper industry, which brings together 18 national associations. He succeeds Ignazio Capuano, CEO of Italian paper manufacturer Burgo and vice-president of the Italian paper manufacturers' association Assocarta.
Future Cepi President Ilkka Hämälä has been the president and CEO of the Finnish forest industry group Metsä since 2018, which has a turnover of approximately ?5.5 billion with 9,300 employees worldwide. Metsä Group's parent company is the Metsäliitto cooperative, which is owned by 100,000 forest owners in Finland representing almost half of the country's private forests.
Ilkka Hämälä has worked for Metsa Group since 1988 and has held various senior positions within the company.
Ilkka Hämälä will continue the work of Ignazio Capuano, who has worked to define the objectives of the Green Deal for Europe, which is now at the stage of legislative proposal of the European Commission.
"While working hand in hand with the European institutions", Ilkka Hämälä will remain vigilant "to ensure that the sector remains competitive and that a secure regulatory environment enables the investments needed for it to continue to transform, innovate and meet its emission reduction targets, in line with the EU's climate ambitions." says Cepi.
