Tony Smurfit, the group leader and chief executive officer of Smurfit WestRock, has been recognised as Business Person of the Month for July. Smurfit Kappa, with Smurfit at its helm, merged officially with U.S. counterpart WestRock on July 5th. As a result, the group now holds the title of largest global packaging entity. This merger was a massive transaction, costing $24 billion (€21.9 billion), and saw Smurfit selected to steer the integrated organisation. Smurfit’s CFO, Ken Bowles, stepped into the role of the executive group’s vice-president and CFO, while chairman Irial Finan took on chair duties for the broader entity. Shareholders of Smurfit Kappa owned slightly over half of the expanded firm, now being referred to as Smurfit WestRock, at merger time.
Located in Dublin, Smurfit WestRock went public, listing its shares on the New York Stock Exchange on July 8th. It’s now also part of the prestigious S&P 500. At the end of July, when Smurfit Kappa’s last batch of quarterly results were revealed, Smurfit spoke of the fusion, stating that their team is eager and motivated to secure a bright future for Smurfit WestRock despite recognising the significant challenges ahead. He added that he has faith that, given their talented team and market dominance, Smurfit WestRock will become the premier sustainable packaging firm delivering the right product at the optimal time. According to the company’s website, Smurfit Westrock currently has global operations extending over 500 converting operations and 62 mills in 40 different countries.