Sappi Appoints New Chief Executive Officer.Business Editors JOHANNESBURG, South Africa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2003 Sappi Limited announced today that Jonathan Leslie, currently Chief Executive of the Diamonds and Gold Group of Rio Tinto Rio Tinto may refer to:
At that time Sappi will split the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive, and Eugene van As, the current Chief Executive Officer, will retire as CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and become Non-Executive Chairman of the group. Jonathan Leslie is a businessman with a great deal of international experience, and has had a highly successful career at Rio Tinto where he has been responsible for a wide range of corporate activities, including in the past the Rossing Uranium mine in Namibia, the Copper Group and, more recently, the Diamonds and Gold Group. He has lived and worked in many countries of the world and is familiar with managing an operation with diverse cultures. He and his wife, Pepe, will be relocating to Johannesburg from London where they now live. Sappi announced about a year ago that it intended splitting the role of Chairman and Chief Executive, when Eugene van As, the current Executive Chairman, retires, and that it was conducting a global search for a new Chief Executive. Commenting on the process undertaken by Sappi, David Brink David Charles Brink (b 9 August 1939) is a South African businessman and sits on the boards of a number of large companies. Brink followed his father's footsteps by going into mining, he joined Anglo American from 1962 and was appointed section manager of Western Deep Levels , a Non-Executive Director A non-executive director (NED, also NXD) or outside director is a member of the board of directors of a company who does not form part of the executive management team. He or she is not an employee of the company or affiliated with it in any other way. of the group and Chairman of the group's Selection Committee, said today that the board had set out to find a new leader for the group that met specific characteristics. Ideally, it wanted somebody who would lead the group for the next eight to ten years, and who could build on Sappi's successful formula, keeping the culture of the group intact whilst growing it to its full potential. Mr Brink said the Committee had an excellent group of internal and external candidates to choose from, and the initial short list of candidates included four nationalities. The board is satisfied that it has chosen the best possible candidate to lead the company. Jonathan Leslie said today that he was very excited about joining Sappi Limited, "I was attracted by the group's business strategy, its successful track record and its already significant market shares in Africa, Europe and the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . I look forward to developing the business further and attaining its strategic objectives. Sappi seems to be well positioned and poised to be able to grow. I have been particularly impressed when studying the group's reports by its financial discipline and rigorous process of allocating capital. I look forward to working with the Sappi team". Eugene van As, Sappi's current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said "I am delighted that Jonathan has agreed to join the Sappi group, and I could not be more pleased with the board's choice. He is a first-rate executive and he brings valuable skills and international experience to the group. I know he will get unqualified support from the Sappi team and will be an excellent leader and get the best out of all of them". As regards his new role as Non-Executive Chairman, van As said, "I have been at Sappi a very long time and I am conscious of the fact that it is time for change and for new dynamic leadership. I am also very conscious of the need for the new CEO to be the undisputed leader of the business. When I hand over executive responsibilities after a short transition period to familiarise Jonathan with the business, he will lead the company. My role as Non-Executive Chairman will be to provide a sounding board for Jonathan when he needs it, and to ensure that the appropriate debate on major strategic issues and decisions is properly and transparently aired at board meetings, and to maintain the culture of open debate and good corporate governance Corporate Governance The relationship between all the stakeholders in a company. This includes the shareholders, directors, and management of a company, as defined by the corporate charter, bylaws, formal policy, and rule of law. ". End Notes to the Editor: A photo of Mr Jonathan Leslie, as well as the electronic version of this document, can be accessed on the Sappi website www.sappi.com . Sappi Limited is the world's largest producer of coated fine paper with leading market shares in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , Europe and Africa. It is also the world's largest producer of dissolving pulp. It has manufacturing operations Manufacturing operations concern the operation of a facility, as opposed to maintenance, supply and distribution, health, and safety, emergency response, human resources, security, information technology and other infrastructural support organizations. in eight countries on three continents and customers in more than 100 countries. Rio Tinto is one of the world's largest mining and resources groups, employing approximately 36 000 people and operating on every continent. Biographical information Jonathan C A Leslie Born in Kasulu, Tanzania on 13 December 1950, Jonathan Leslie, a British citizen, was educated at Trinity College Trinity College, Ireland: see Dublin, Univ. of. Trinity College Private liberal arts college in Hartford, Conn., founded in 1823. It is historically affiliated with the Episcopal church, though its curriculum is nonsectarian. , Oxford, receiving a Master of Arts Master of Arts Noun a degree, usually postgraduate in a nonscientific subject, or a person holding this degree Noun 1. Master of Arts - a master's degree in arts and sciences Artium Magister, MA, AM degree in Jurisprudence. He was called to the Bar in 1974. He joined Rio Tinto in 1977. In the years leading up to his appointment as mining director in 1994, he had a wide experience of the company's interests in Africa, Australia, Latin America and the United States, including Managing Director of Rossing Uranium in Namibia. Prior to becoming Chief Executive of the Diamonds and Gold Group in 1999, he was Chief Executive of the Copper Group from 1997. He is also a director of Lihir Gold. He was appointed a director of Rio Tinto plc in 1994 and of Rio Tinto Limited in 1995. He is married to Pepe, also a qualified lawyer, and they have 4 grown-up grown-up adj. 1. Of, characteristic of, or intended for adults: grown-up movies; a grown-up discussion. 2. children (two sets of twins) - a son and three daughters. He has lived in the UK, the USA, Namibia and Australia. His interests include rackets rackets Game for two or four players with ball and racket on a four-walled court. Rackets is played with a hard ball in a relatively large court (approximately 9 × 18 m), unlike the related games of squash and racquetball. sports; he gained five different blues at Oxford University and was the leading British amateur squash player from 1976 - 1980. CAREER SUMMARY 1974 - 1977 CHANCERY CHAMBERS Barrister 1977 - present RIO TINTO 1977-1980 Legal Department 1980-1984 Uranium Marketing Executive, Mineral Services 1984-1985 Strategy Department 1985-1987 PA to the Chief Executive 1987-1989 Strategy Manager, Metals Group Responsible for Zimbabwe operations 1989-1991 Director Latin America and RTZ RTZ Rio Tinto Zinc RTZ Return To Zero RTZ Return to Zork (game) RTZ Retail Trade Zone Mining and Metals Ltd Chairman Anglesey Aluminium (smelter) Chairman Capper cap·per n. 1. One that caps or makes caps. 2. Informal Something that surpasses or completes what has gone before; a finishing touch or finale. 3. Pass (smelter in Hull) Rio Tinto Representative on Escondida Owners Council (copper mine in Chile run by BHP) 1991-1994 Managing Director, Rossing Uranium Ltd, Namibia 1994 Appointed to Main Board with responsibilities in Europe, Brazil, Namibia, India and Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (păp`  ə, –y 1995 Director RTZ-CRA Dual listed company 1996 CRA See Community Reinvestment Act. Group Executive, Melbourne 1997 Acting President of Kennecott Corporation based in Salt Lake City 1997-1999 CEO Copper Group 1999 - present CEO Diamonds and Gold Group |
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