Mets is an international business leader with over 30 years of experience. She has a proven track record of building successful businesses and maximising value for all stakeholders. She has held a range of senior executive leadership roles at Avery Dennison, the family company Pon, and at Royal DSM, where, as executive vice president of materials, she led the successful growth transformation, carve-out, and divestment of the Specialty Materials businesses. Since December 2021, she has also served on the Ahlstrom board of directors, as per a press release by Ahlstrom.

Finland’s Ahlstrom has named Helen Mets as its president and CEO, effective January 1, 2023. With the company entering the next phase of growth and transformation, Mets will succeed current president and CEO, Hans Sohlstrom, who has been with the company since 2016. Sohlstrom will leave Ahlstrom at the end of December to pursue new opportunities.

“We are now starting the next phase of Ahlstrom’s transformation and the board is excited with the nomination of Helen. Her track record of value creation in the specialty materials industry, her strong customer-focused mindset, and her capabilities to drive large-scale growth and transformations through sustainable innovation make her a great fit for Ahlstrom. On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Hans for his energetic and inspiring leadership. During his seven years at the helm of the company, first as chairman of the board, and then for the last five years as president and CEO, Ahlstrom has more than tripled its net sales and increased fivefold its EBITDA. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours,” said Ivano Sessa, chairman of the board of directors.

“I wish to thank the board of directors for its confidence in me. Ahlstrom is a company whose values and heritage I admire. I’m very much looking forward to work alongside Ahlstrom’s teams to lead our growth transformation, deliver on our purpose, and strengthen the company’s position as a global leader in sustainable fibre-based specialty materials,” said Mets.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)