RISI Announces European CEO Of The Year

RISI has announced that Norske Skog’s CEO and President, Christian Rynning-Tonnesen, has been selected as the European CEO of the Year for the pulp and paper industry.

Rynning-Tonnesen will be presented with the award at RISI’s 11th European Pulp & Paper Outlook Conference in Berlin, Germany to be held March 29-31, 2009.

Rynning-Tonnesen was chosen as the European CEO of the Year by a group of investment analysts and portfolio managers covering the forest products industry, the press release says. The analysts responded to a survey organized by RISI and the criteria for nomination included leadership, vision and strategic accomplishment.

Norske Skog is one of the world’s leading newsprint and magazine paper producers. Under Rynning-Tonnesen’s lead, the company has cut capacity, sold off assets and undertaken various restructuring programs, the press release says.

Rynning-Tonnesen says, “This is a nice recognition after a period of much hard work by a united Norske Skog team. The organization has implemented a very extensive improvement program and completed several asset sales in 2008. Norske Skog is much better equipped to meet the future after measures taken the last years, but a lot of hard work remains.”

Rynning-Tonnesen joined Norske Skog in April 2005 as CFO and assumed the post of CEO and president in June 2006. Rynning-Tonnesen joined Norske Skog after serving as a member of the corporate management team at state-owned power generator Statkraft for 11 years and as its deputy CEO for two. Prior to that, he was with McKinsey for three years and three years with Esso Norway. He graduated as an engineer from NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology).