Metsä Board Corporation has announced that Ilkka Hämälä will step down as Chair of the Board of Directors, effective July 1, 2025.
Hämälä, who has held the position since 2018 while also serving as President and CEO of Metsä Group, is credited with reinforcing the company’s role as Europe’s leading producer of fresh fibre paperboard and advancing its sustainability leadership.
The Board expressed gratitude for Hämälä’s significant contributions over his seven-year tenure.
Effective the same date, board member Jussi Vanhanen will assume the role of Chair. Vanhanen, who becomes President and CEO of Metsä Group on July 1 as well, joined Metsä Board’s Board in March 2025 and previously served on the Board of Metsäliitto Cooperative from 2022 to 2025. He was appointed CEO of Metsäliitto Cooperative in May 2025.
Vanhanen will also take over as Chair of the Board’s nomination and HR committee. Jussi Linnanranta will continue as Vice Chair of the Board.
With Hämälä’s resignation, the Board of Directors will consist of nine members, aligning with the company’s articles of association and requiring no immediate changes.
Metsä Board is a Nasdaq Helsinki–listed company producing lightweight, high-quality folding boxboards, food service boards, and white kraftliners using renewable fresh fibres. The company aims to achieve fossil-free mills and materials by 2030 and had EUR 1.9 billion in sales in 2024. It employs approximately 2,300 people and is part of Metsä Group, owned by over 90,000 Finnish forest owners.
