Group Smurfit Westrock
Tony Smurfit | Group CEO & President of Smurfit Westrock. Tony has worked in various areas of Smurfit Kappa Group, both in Europe and the United States. He was appointed SKG Chief Executive Officer in 2015. Prior to that he was Group COO, Deputy CEO and CEO of the company in Europe and CEO in France. He is a Board member of CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries), and is also a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists.
Sharon Whitehead | Chief Human Resources Officer. She Joined Smurfit Kappa in 2019 as Human Resources VP. Prior to this position she worked at Kerry Group plc. in various international HR Leadership roles over a 20-year career, recently as the Global Vice President HR. Her previous roles included Global Director of Change and Communications, EMEA Vice President of HR, and Asia Pacific Vice President of HR. She is a fellow of the CIPD, the professional body for HR and People Development and a Board Member of ABP, one of Europe’s leading privately owned food processors. Sharon holds a bachelor’s degree, in addition to various industry qualifications.
Ray Murphy | Group Corporate Planner. Appointed Group Corporate Planner in 2005. He joined the Company in 1989, and since then has undertaken a number of different roles in Ireland and abroad, the main emphasis of which was that of project analysis and development. He holds a primary and Master’s Degree in Business Studies from University College Cork, where he also taught.
Alvaro José Henao | SVP Integration. Prior to his role as SVP Integration, Alvaro has been CEO of the Smurfit Kappa Central Cluster, which includes countries in Central America, in addition to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Prior this he was General Manager of two corrugated operations and a mill in Medellin and Bogota (Colombia), VP of Finance, HR and Administration for The Americas and VP of Finance for the same region. Alvaro joined the Company in 1988.
John Stakel | SVP Integration. Before being SVP Integration for Smurfit Westrock, John has been SVP-Business Transformation and co-led the SAP and enterprise systems upgrade program. Prior to this he was SVP-Treasurer of WestRock Company. John joined the company in 2008. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Florida.
Roisin Foley | Group Director HR Integration. Roisin is the HR Integration lead for the merger between legacy Smurfit Kappa and WestRock organisations including culture, organization design and change management leadership for Smurfit Westrock. She joined in March 2024. Prior to this, Roisin was with Kerry’s as Group Head of Operational Effectiveness, responsible for the overall approach, which includes Operating Model, Organization Design, Employee Engagement and Change Management.
Group Finance
Ken Bowles | Executive Vice President & Group CFO. Ken has served as Group CFO since April 2016 and was appointed a Director of SK in December 2016. He joined SK in 1994 and has occupied a number of finance roles in various parts of the business. In 2004 he was appointed as first Head of Compliance, in 2007 he became Head of Tax and in 2010 he was appointed Group Financial Controller. Ken is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants and holds a first class MBA from the UCD Graduate School of Business.
Heli Mooney | Group VP Internal Audit Heli joined the company in 2022. Before this, she was Group Head of Internal Audit for Ryanair. From 2014-2018, Heli was with Hewlettt Packard Enterprise, first as Head of Internal Audit PCF-13 and moving on to lead Enterprise Risk Management.
Gillian Carson-Callan | Group SVP Finance & Company Secretary. Gillian CarsonCallan is the Group SVP Finance & Company Secretary. Gillian joined Smurfit Kappa in 2009. She held roles within the Group Finance function before her appointment as Assistant Group Secretary in 2016 and her subsequent appoint to Group Secretary in 2020. Gillian is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland and holds a Certificate in Company Secretarial Law and Practice.
Irene Page | Chief Accounting Officer. Irene joined the company in 2005 as Assistant Group Financial Controller, becoming Group Financial Controller in 2016.
Garett Quinn | Group Chief Sustainability Officer. He has been with the company since 2000 when he started as a graduate trainee. Over the years, Garrett has held roles including Plant Manager, General Manager and Regional Director, becoming Chief Sustainability Officer in 2021.
Ciaran Potts | Group VP Investor Relations. Ciaran has been with the company for over 11 years, starting as Senior Treasury Accountant and rising to Head of Investor Relations in 2021.
Emer Murnane | Group SVP Treasury. Emer joined the company in 2006 as Treasury Accountant. She has held different roles within the organization, as Head of Treasury, Assistant Group Treasurer and Group Treasurer; becoming Group SVP Treasury in 2024.
Ken Byrne | Group VP Tax. Ken was with PwC for 13 years in roles including International Tax Director. He was with Black and Decker and VP Taxes before becoming Group Tax Director with the company in 2009 and is now Group Vice President Tax for Smurfit Westrock.
North America & LATAM
Laurent Sellier | President & CEO North America (United States, Canada and Mexico) . Before becoming President and CEO of North America for Smurfit Westrock, Laurent was CEO of Smurfit Kappa in The Americas. Prior to this, he was COO of the Europe Paper and Board Division. He joined the Company in 1994 as an Internal Auditor and since then he has worked in several roles across Smurfit Kappa in France, the UK, Spain and the Netherlands.
Jairo Lorenzatto | President & CEO Latin America . With over 25 years of work experience in leading industrial companies (Packaging, Paper, Forestry Products, Cement, Beverages, Industrial Gases), Jairo Lorenzatto is the President of Latin America at WestRock. He joined WestRock in 2007 as Strategy and Financial Planning and Analysis Manager, taking on various roles with increasing responsibility including 6 years as President of WestRock Brazil. He earned an MSc in Finance from Coppead UFRJ-Brazil, and a BSc degree in Chemical and Industrial Engineering at UFRJ Brazil.
Juan Pablo Pérez | Regional Chief Financial Officer. Juan Pablo has been with the company since 1996, when he started as an Engineering Trainee. Over the years, he has had a wealth of experience in multiple divisions of the company including as Country General Manager, Regional CFO legacy SK The Americas and CEO North America legacy SK. He is now Group CFO North America for Smurfit Westrock.
Luis Mercader | Regional CFO LATAM. Luis first joined the company as a Plant Controller in Chihuahua, eventually rising to Regional CFO Americas in 2022. Luis has been CFO for LATAM since the merger in 2024.
Europe, MEA, APAC
Saverio Mayer | President & CEO Europe, MEA, APAC Saverio joined Smurfit Kappa in 1986 and has held a number of commercial and operational roles. Before becoming CEO of Smurfit Kappa Europe, he was COO of Corrugated and Converting Europe. He also served as the CEO of Italy, Poland, Russia, and Bag-in-Box worldwide. Since 2018, Saverio has been the Vice-President of FEFCO – European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers.
Lieke Koelewijn | VP HR Europe, MEA and APAC. In 2001, Lieke joined the company as Legal Counsel for Europe. Since 2019 she has been HR & Legal Director Europe. With the merger, Lieke has become VP HR Europe, MEA and APAC. Lieke is based in the Netherlands.
Edwin Goffard | President Corrugated & Consumer Packaging, Europe, MEA and APAC. Edwin began his career in McKinsey’s and over the years has gained his experience working for Coveris, PepsiCo, Britton Group as well as a number of Smurfit Kappa divisions over the years in Amsterdam, Mexico and Germany. Since the merger, Edwin has been President Corrugated and Consumer Packaging Europe, MEA and APAC.
Pat McNeil | Regional CFO Europe, MEA and APAC. Pat McNeill is the CFO of Europe, MEA and APAC. He joined the company in August 1983 and has spent most of his career within the Finance Function. Between 1992 and 2006 Pat was GM of a number of plants before becoming the CFO of the UK. He completed the INSEAD Program in 2019 and currently leads the integration program for Europe.
Javier Rivas | President Paper/Mills, Europe, MEA and APAC. Javier Rivas is the President Paper / Mills for Europe, MEA and APAC. Previously and after many years in different positions in the Paper Division in Europe, he was VP Global Sourcing with responsibility both in EU and in The Americas. He attended AMD in 2001 and to Instead in 2019. He joined the company in 1991.
Arco Berkenbosch | Chief Innovation Officer Europe, MEA & APAC. He has worked in various roles in innovation, business development , marketing and sustainability. Arco joined the company in 2000.
Smurfit Westrock Global IS
Richard Schouten | Global IS CIO legacy Smurfit Kappa. Richard Schouten is the CIO for legacy Smurfit Kappa Operations. Previously, he was the Director of IT, Director of the Group Microsoft Competence Centre, Director of Group Infrastructure and Security Manager. Richard joined in 2004 after working as a contractor for the Group in various roles and projects since 1998. Richard holds an MSc and an MBA. Richard has concluded the Kappa Young Managers course and the INSEAD Open Leadership Program.
Michel de Koning | Global Director of Operations. Previous to this role, he was Production Manager and Production Superintendent. He has 15 years’ experience in the packaging industry. Prior to joining Smurfit Kappa in 2018, he was part of the original team that started up the Tijuana Folding Carton operation. Before becoming Global Director of Operations, Michel led large project teams in global Infrastructure and Platforms projects. He studied Mechanical Engineering and Economics and has been working for the company since 2001.
Rob Soffers | Global Director of SAP. Rob is responsible for leading the task force to work on the harmonization program between Smurfit Kappa and WestRock. Rob joined Smurfit Kappa in 2001 covering several roles across the organization, such as Project Manager, eSupport Manager, Operations Manager, GMCC (Group Microsoft Competence Centre) Director and Global IS Platforms Director since 2021.
Glynn Timmins | Global IS Transformation Director & IT Integration Lead for legacy SK. Glynn is the Global IS Transformation Director and IT Integration Lead for former Smurfit Kappa. Since joining our business 30 years ago, he has been Head of IT for Paper UK, Group Head of Information Security and Group IT Director. In recent years he has led work in IT strategy and operating model transformation, leads our Global Portfolio unit and our Global Ways of Working and IT Integration programs. He holds a First Class Honours degree in Management & Computer Science and has completed our Open Leadership development at INSEAD.
James Holmes | Global Service Excellence Director. Hans Vooges is the Director of the Global IS Infrastructure and Platforms functions. During his career, Hans has been in Director and Manager positions in several organizations and has successfully led IT improvements programs. He joined the company in 2013, as Program Manager and later Operations Manager within the former GMCC.
Lilia Nahon | Global IS HR Director. Prior to becoming the Global IS HR Director, Lilia was the Human Resources Director for Smurfit Kappa Mexico and also worked in continuous improvement programs, project management, logistics, leading manufacturing operations and Human Resources in multi-national companies. She joined the company in 2016. She’s and Industrial and Systems Engineer and holds an MBA from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. She has concluded the INSEAD Open Leadership Program.
Andreas Wöginger | Global IS Finance Director. Andreas is Austrian and has been with the company for 25 years, initially starting as a Corrugated Plant Controller. Andreas became CFO+HR for four countries and later became CFO for ten countries, working on acquisitions and IT Finance onboarding in Eastern Europe. Since January 2022, Andreas has been Finance Director for Global IS.
Keith Fehd | VP IT Business Solutions. Keith is currently serving as Interim CIO for legacy WestRock and has been with the Company for more than 24 years. Most recently, Keith co-led the multi-year IT and business transformation effort to standardize processes, systems and data across the business footprint. During his tenure, he has held various IT leadership roles with the Company, including VP IT for Corrugated Packaging and Mills and VP IT Packaging Solutions. Prior to joining the Company, he served as a principal consultant for Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) and worked at Boeing as a program and block manager for more than 12 years.
John Gift | Chief Information Security Officer. John has served as Chief Information Security Officer with the Company for nearly 5 years. Previously, he was the VP and CISO at Carter’s, where he built and matured the cyber program. Under John’s leadership, the collective information security and IT org were recognized for their resiliency program with the CSO50 award in 2023. John also held leadership roles at Domino’s, Target Corporation, and Wellmark, Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He holds degrees from Howard University and Iowa State University, and graduated top of his class from Carnegie Mellon’s CISO Executive program. John is also an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon.
Joseph Hinkle | VP IT Platforms & Global Operations. Joseph Hinkle is the Vice President of Technology Platforms and Global Operations at Smurfit Westrock, a role he has held for more than 7 years. He’s responsible for the strategic vision across multiple technology functions, including identity management, collaboration, cloud strategy, application portfolio, networking, data center, field support, and service desk. Previously, he was Director of Windows Services, where he led global IT initiatives and managed device and server environments. Joseph has been with the company for more than 23 years.
Heather Miller | VP IT Digital Transformation Office. Heather has served as Vice President for Digital Transformation for the past 3 years. She leads the digital transformation strategy, including enterprise portfolio delivery, budgeting processes, change enablement, and strategic supplier relationships. Prior to joining the company, Heather also held various IT leadership roles at ServiceNow, McKesson, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Coca-Cola, Bank of America, and GE. She holds degrees from the North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Westrock
Mark Miller | VP IT Digital Manufacturing Solutions. Mark has been leading the Technology Integration Program for legacy WestRock. He has been with the company for 7 years and currently serves as the Vice President of Digital Manufacturing Solutions. His responsibilities include supporting our Mills business segment, manufacturing operations systems, supply chain optimization, HR applications, connected machinery, and AI/ML. Prior to joining the company, Mark held leadership roles at Lockheed Martin/Martin Marietta and United States Air Force. He holds degrees from the University of Maryland and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and completed the Executive Strategy and Innovation program from Wharton.
Tarak Patel | VP IT Consumer Packaging. Tarak has served as VP for the Consumer Packaging & Machinery business lines at the Company for the past 4 years. He leads IT innovation efforts to improve operational efficiency, productivity, cost control, and customer success directly enabling business priorities for both Consumer and Machinery. Previously, Tarak held IT leadership roles and led strategic transformation initiatives with E. & J. Gallo Winery, Henkel, and IBM. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego in Computer Engineering and holds certifications from the CTO Forum and Deloitte’s CIO Academy.
Stephanie Simmons | VP IT Corrugated LATAM & Victory. Stephanie has been with the Company for 6 years overseeing various strategic operational and integration initiatives supporting the Corrugated Packaging and Distribution business segments across North America and Latin America. For the past year, she has served as Vice President of IT for Corrugated, LATAM & Victory Packaging (distribution). Previously, Stephanie held IT leadership roles with Colonial Pipeline Company and Cisco Systems, Inc. She holds degrees from Shorter University and Calumet College of St. Joseph, and she holds a certification from the Project Management Institute.
Charl Young | VP Software Engineering & Data Analytics. Charl has been with the Company for 14 years and held various leadership roles leading software development, integration and engineering efforts. For the past year, he has served as Vice President of Software Engineering and Data Analytics leading the data strategy and standardization for the organization. Prior to joining the company, he held roles at Kaplan, HomeChoice, Old Mutual South Africa, AngloGold, and ESKOM. He holds a degree in information technology from the University of South Africa and is Six Sigma Green Belt and Scrum Master certified.