Directorate Change

Directorate Change

Smurfit Kappa Group PLC

Appointment of New Group Chief Financial Officer

SKG.I SKG.L

Smurfit Kappa Group (’SKG’ or the ‘Group’) one of the world’s largest integrated manufacturers of paper-based packaging products with operations in Europe and the Americas, announces that Mr Ian Curley, has informed the Board of his intention to step down as Group Chief Financial Officer and Director on 31 March 2016. The Board has appointed Mr Ken Bowles, Group Financial Controller, as Group Chief Financial Officer Designate to succeed Mr Curley on 1 April 2016.

Liam O’Mahony, SKG Chairman, commented: “On behalf of the Board, we express our gratitude to Ian for his significant contribution to the successful development of the Group during his time with the Group and in particular the past 16 years as Chief Financial Officer. We wish him well for the future.”

Tony Smurfit, Group CEO, added: "Ian, together with his team, has been central to the successful repositioning of the Group. This has provided the Group with financial flexibility to invest in the business and to capitalise on growth opportunities. We thank him for his strong contribution to the successful evolution of Smurfit Kappa and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

“We are pleased to have an executive of Ken Bowles’ calibre to succeed Ian as Group Chief Financial Officer. Ken has held a number of senior financial roles in the Group and has been central to the strong performance of the broader corporate and finance team over the last number of years.”

Ian Curley concluded: “The Group is in a strong position today with a broad range of strategic and financial options. I am confident Tony, Ken and the team will continue the successful development of the Group.”

“I would like to thank the professional team we developed at Group and my colleagues in Europe and the Americas for the support they have given me over the years.”

ENDS

Contact
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Seamus Murphy Smurfit Kappa T: [phone] E: [e-mail] Â		FTI Consulting   T: [phone] E: [e-mail]
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About Smurfit Kappa

Smurfit Kappa is one of the leading providers of paper-based packaging solutions in the world, with around 45,000 employees in approximately 370 production sites across 34 countries and with revenue of €8.1 billion in 2015. We are located in 21 countries in Europe, and 13 in the Americas. We are the only large-scale pan-regional player in Latin America.

With our pro-active team we relentlessly use our extensive experience and expertise, supported by our scale, to open up opportunities for our customers. We collaborate with forward thinking customers by sharing superior product knowledge, market understanding and insights in packaging trends to ensure business success in their markets. We have an unrivalled portfolio of paper-packaging solutions, which is constantly updated with our market-leading innovations. This is enhanced through the benefits of our integration, with optimal paper design, logistics, timeliness of service, and our packaging plants sourcing most of their raw materials from our own paper mills. Our products, which are 100% renewable and produced sustainably, improve the environmental footprint of our customers.

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View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160209006836/en/