At their meeting on 24 November 2003, the Board of Directors of Kemira Oyj has decided to appoint Mr. Lasse Kurkilahti, B.Sc. (Econ.), as the new Chief Executive Officer of Kemira Oyj, Lasse Kurkilahti will begin in his position as the CEO of Kemira Oyj at the end of May 2004. In his new capacity Lasse Kurkilahti will succeed Kemira's current CEO Tauno Pihlava.
Lasse Kurkilahti's (b.1948) current position is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Elcoteq Oyj, which is the largest European company in electronics manufacturing services (EMS). Elcoteq is listed on the Helsinki Exchanges and has net sales of EUR 1.8 billion (2002) and 11,000 employees. During his working career Mr Kurkilahti has held the positions of Managing Director and CEO at Nokian Tyres and the Raisio Group.
Kemira's Board of Directors emphasizes that the Kemira Group will continue its current strategy by developing further all the company's business units.
"Kemira has entered a stage of an increasingly harder global competition where development and growth on a global basis are vital elements of success. The company has systematically developed both the businesses and the structure of the Kemira Group during Tauno Pihlava's term of office, and we value his work highly", says Anssi Soila, Chairman of the Board of Kemira Oyj.
"In the future our focus will be on an even faster execution of the Group's strategy and higher return on investment. We expect to accelerate our capacity for swift change through motivated personnel and employee participation. Lasse Kurkilahti has solid practical knowledge and experience in developing corporate culture in international companies. We trust that his expertise in combination with Kemira's profound inhouse know-how will contribute towards building up Kemira to an even stronger and more globally-based company", Anssi Soila continues.
The Kemira Group operates in the chemical industry, focusing on sectors demanding versatile chemical technology, with net sales of EUR 2.6 billion in 2002. The company employs 10,300 people worldwide.
For further information please contact:
Mr. Anssi Soila, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Kemira Oyj
Tel. + 358 (0)10 862 1027
Mr. Lasse Kurkilahti, President and CEO
Elcoteq Oyj
Tel. + 358 (0)10 413 1700 Mobile + 358 (0)500 628 016