Smurfit Kappa CEO, Tony Smurfit, has been named as European Chief Executive of 2021 for the paper sector by industry data provider Fastmarkets RISI. Smurfit was nominated for the award by a group of investment analysts, industry consultants and commentators covering the European and global pulp and paper industry.
The reasons cited for Smurfit’s win largely centred around his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and the company’s continued investment in future growth. Since Smurfit became the group’s Chief Executive in 2015, Smurfit Kappa has delivered overall returns of 180% for investors against a 17% return for the FTSE 100, Fastmarkets RISI reported.
Smurfit Kappa’s shares rose about 12% last year as COVID-19 led to an acceleration of online commerce and a move by fast-moving consumer-goods companies towards sustainable packaging. The group raised €660m from a share sale in November to up its investment in projects and take advantage of a strong stock price.
