Austrian Pfeifer Holding GmbH successfully completed the acquisition of Finnish wood processing company Pölkky Oy at the end of January 2023. With Jari Suominen’s appointment as the CEO, Pölkky will gain a leader with international experience in the industry.
The Board of Directors of Pölkky Oy has appointed Jari Suominen (M. Sc. Accounting and Business) as Pölkky’s new CEO. He will start in his position on 1 January 2024. Jari Suominen has extensive experience in the forestry business, building on his career of more than 25 years at Stora Enso, most recently as Executive Vice President (EVP), Forest Division and a member of the Group Leadership Team. Since July 2023, he has acted as an advisor to companies in the forestry, wood products and green energy industry through his company Suominen Green Development.
The Board of Directors is very pleased to get such an experienced industry expert as the new CEO. “During his many years working at Stora Enso, Jari Suominen has gained extensive experience in the forestry industry. Having led the sawmills and forestry operations in Finland and internationally, he is well prepared for his role as Pölkky’s CEO,” says Michael Pfeifer, CEO of Pfeifer Holding GmbH.
“I am excited to join the Pölkky family and support the company in the implementation of its strategy and future growth. I look forward to working with Pölkky employees, forest owners, other partners and Pfeifer Group in the development of high-quality wood processing products and services,” says Jari Suominen.
Josef Dringel, who took over the role of CEO on an interim basis in February 2023, will return to Pölkky‘s Board of Directors as of 1 January 2024.
About Pfeifer Group
The Austrian Pfeifer Holding GmbH was founded in 1948 and is now run by the third generation of the Pfeifer family. It employs 2,600 people at 13 locations in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and Finland. The company headquarters is in Imst (Tyrol/Austria). In the fully integrated sawmills of the group, 5.4 million solid cubic metres of wood are cut annually and processed along the entire value chain into sawn and planed timber, formwork panels, formwork beams, cross laminated timber (CLT), glued laminated timber, glued solid wood panels as well as pallet blocks, briquettes, pellets and bioelectricity.
