Francesca Stevens
Sept. 29, 2026 - The Board of Cepi, the Confederation of European Paper Industries, has appointed Francesca Stevens as its next Director General as of Sept. 28. An experienced European industry advocate, she succeeds Jori Ringman, who has led the association since 2019.
Stevens joins Cepi from EUROPEN, the European Organisation for Packaging and the Environment, where she has served as Secretary General since 2020. During her tenure, she has represented a complex, cross-sectoral value chain comprising raw-material producers, packaging manufacturers and users.
Prior to EUROPEN, Stevens held senior leadership roles at Arconic and Alcoa. She holds a degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Turin and a master's degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Warsaw.
Stevens will lead Cepi's Brussels-based secretariat staff of 24, and work with its members, the sector's national associations, to represent the European pulp and paper industry before the EU Institutions and other stakeholders.
"It is a great honour to be entrusted with leading Cepi. Europe’s pulp and paper industry has everything it takes to lead the circular bioeconomy: renewable resources rooted in our communities, world-class industrial capabilities and a strong culture of innovation," said Stevens. "I look forward to working with our team, members, Board, committees, CEO Forum and partners to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and place it at the heart of Europe’s industrial future."
Cepi is governed by a Board comprising representatives of national associations and chief executives from leading companies in the sector.
Henrik Sjölund, Cepi Chairman and CEO of Holmen, commented, "Francesca combines a strong command of European policymaking with a deep understanding of industrial value chains. The Cepi Board is confident that she will provide a strong, united voice for our industry in Europe."
Cepi is the European association representing the paper industry. The Association offers a wide range of renewable and recyclable wood-based fibre solutions to EU citizens: from packaging to textile, hygiene and tissue products, printing and graphic papers as well as specialty papers, but also biochemicals for food and pharmaceuticals, biocomposites and bioenergy. Through its 19 national associations, Cepi gathers 450 companies operating 740 mills across Europe and directly employing more than 176,000 people.
SOURCE: Cepi