US' SWM & Neenah unveil leadership team for combined company

Julie Schertell, president and chief executive officer of Neenah, will serve as president, chief executive officer, and a member of the board of directors. Jeff Kramer, chief executive officer of SWM, will serve as a strategic advisor. John D. Rogers, non-executive chairman of the SWM board, will serve as non-executive chair of the board of directors, SWM said in a media statement.

The senior leadership team includes Omar Hoek, chief operating officer; Andrew Wamser, chief financial officer; Ricardo Nuñez, general counsel, secretary, and chief compliance officer; Natalie Poteran, chief transformation officer; Sarma Malladi, chief information officer; and Mike Rickheim, chief human resources and administrative officer.

Upon closing, the new company will report results from two reporting segments: advanced technical materials and fibre-based solutions. The advanced technical materials segment will deliver solutions that filter and purify air and liquids, support adhesive and protective applications, advance healing and wellness, and solve some of material science’s most demanding performance needs.

The fibre-based solutions segment will leverage the combined company’s extensive natural fibre capabilities to provide specialty solutions for various end-uses, including sustainable packaging, imaaging and communications, home and office, consumer goods, and other applications.

“Establishing this leadership team and business structure is an important milestone in bringing together our two talented organisations. The merger of Neenah and SWM has tremendous potential, driven by the compelling strategic fit of our businesses, significant synergy opportunity, and benefits of additional scale. With a broader portfolio of products, expanded technology suite, and enhanced geographic presence, we will be stronger together and well-positioned for growth. We are combining our collective leadership strengths, capabilities, and experiences to assemble a powerful executive team that will drive growth, expand our position as a leader in specialty materials, and deliver on the promise of our combination, creating value for our customers, employees, and shareholders,” Schertell said.

“Having a strong and experienced leadership team on day one is critical as we work to deliver on the substantial, attainable value-creating opportunities ahead and realise the full potential of this transformational merger. Our goal is to create a unified model to deliver on the promise of this combination. I look forward to continued progress on our integration plans as we build a company that is well-positioned to succeed with a best-in-class product portfolio and deep expertise in material science and engineering technologies that will drive innovation and solve our customers’ toughest challenges,” Kramer said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)