Amund Saxrud, managing director of the Norske Skog Skogn factory, will be appointed new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Norske Skog group, one of the world’s major producers of paper for publishing, with a total capacity of 2.7 million tonnes of newsprint. Saxrud will continue in his current position at the Skogn factory until a new Managing Director is appointed for the site.
The appointment of the new COO will be an important step to strengthen the group’s activities in the seven factories in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. «In a period of strong competition in the sector, Amund Saxrud’s vast operating experience will be important for further efforts to strengthen the competitiveness of the group’s steelworks», maintains the CEO, Sven Ombudstvedt.
Tore Hansesætre, who has held the position of COO of Norske Skog from February last year, will be appointed senior vice-president strategic projects (SVP). He will be responsible for projects for the group’s industrial paper and energy, with the objective of further developing the factory’s portfolio and strengthening subsequent investment. Hansesætre will work on implementing boiler projects in the Bruck and Golbey factories in Austria and France and will have corporate responsibility for the strategic supply of energy. Furthermore, he will be entrusted with the job of developing consolidation opportunities in the sector.
«After a turbulent period for Norske Skog, we are entering a phase in which we shall be implementing significant industrial changes. With his knowledge and skills, Tore Hansesætre will bring our new projects into a new phase», comments Ombudstvedt.
The new COO and the new SVP will both report directly to the CEO, Sven Ombudsvedt, who has taken up the position of CEO ad interim after Nils Petter Wright resigned at the end of last March. As well as Saxrud and Hansesætre, the Management of Norske Skog will consist of Robert Wood (SVP Commercial), Rune Sollie (CFO) and Lars Sperre (SVP Strategy).
Â