Finland-based packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki is getting a new CEO next week. Ralf Wunderlich will take over the position on Jan. 15.
Wunderlich will replace current CEO Charles Héaulmé, who has been at the company for six years and will assist with the leadership transition until July.
“Under Charles’s leadership the Company has made great progress in its journey to become the first choice for sustainable packaging solutions and forming its updated 2030 growth strategy,” said Pekka Vauramo, board chair, in a statement.
Wunderlich has been acting as a non-executive director at several companies, including packaging manufacturer Klöckner Pentaplast, and he has been a member of Huhtamaki’s Board of Directors since 2018, according to the company. Previously, he worked at Amcor from 2010 to 2016 as president and managing director for flexibles in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to that, he was at Linpac Group for about a year. From 1993 to 2007, Wunderlich held various positions at Rio Tinto Alcan, most recently as president of Alcan Packaging for global tobacco.
“Ralf K. Wunderlich has a wealth of experience in leading international packaging businesses, outstanding operational experience and capability to bring high-performing teams together with great results. He has a solid focus on growing businesses, both organically and through M&A,” Vauramo said in a statement.
Once Wunderlich assumes the CEO position, he will immediately step down from Huhtamaki’s board.
This is the latest leadership change at Huhtamaki in recent months, including the December appointment of Axel Glade as president of flexible packaging and the October appointment of Wilhelm Wolff as executive vice president of strategy and business development.
Huhtamaki has more than 100 global sites, including 17 in the United States. Last year, it announced plans to close multiple facilities, including in China, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, but it also expanded in some areas, such as Northern Ireland. Last July, Starbucks confirmed that Huhtamaki was one of its partners on compostable cups for cold beverages; Huhtamaki provided molded fiber lids.
