AF&PA appoints Mark Sutton as board chair

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), Washington, has announced the election of Memphis, Tennessee-based International Paper Chairman and CEO Mark Sutton as the new AF&PA board chair. 

“The U.S. paper and wood products industry plays an essential role in sustainable forest management that helps keep forests as forests,” Sutton says.  “I look forward to advocating for our industry’s circular, sustainable and responsible manufacturing practices and innovations. We are proud to lead important conversations on biomass energy, recycling, regulatory reform and transportation infrastructure that support our commitment to growth and our ability to create American manufacturing jobs.”

According to a news release on Sutton’s appointment from the AF&PA, Sutton became chairman of the International Paper board of directors on Jan. 1, 2015, and CEO on Nov. 1, 2014. Before becoming CEO, he served as president and chief operating officer at International Paper with responsibility for leading the company’s global businesses. Sutton has been with the company his entire career, having joined International Paper in 1984 as an engineer at the Pineville, Louisiana, mill. Sutton also serves on the board of directors for The Kroger Co. He is a member of the Business Council, the Business Roundtable board of directors and the International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management – Skolkovo. He also serves on the board of directors for Memphis Tomorrow and the board of governors for New Memphis Institute.

“The paper and wood products manufacturing industry has an important story to share, most importantly our commitment to sustainable business practices,” says Heidi Brock, president and CEO of the AF&PA. “There’s a reason paper products are the most-recycled product by weight in the U.S. and that there are 20 percent more trees in the U.S. today than there were 50 years ago. AF&PA kicked off the year applauding the bipartisan U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement and its role in promoting forest products jobs and manufacturing. I look forward to continued successes working alongside Mark Sutton and AF&PA’s board officers.”

During AF&PA’s winter board of directors meeting in Washington, the association also announced its 2020 slate of board officers, AF&PA reports. The AF&PA board of directors consists of top industry leaders who represent a broad spectrum of companies in the paper and wood products manufacturing sector.

The additional elected officers include the following: Michael Doss, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Graphic Packaging International Inc. (first vice chair) and Christian Fischer, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific LLC (second vice chair). Pete Watson, president and CEO of Delaware, Ohio-based Greif Inc. and 2019 AF&PA board chair, will serve as immediate past chair. Also beginning a new term as an AF&PA board member in 2020 is Michael Haws, president and CEO of Boston-based Sappi North America.