Beth Cormier is Vice President of research, development and sustainability for Sappi North America and is a member of the executive management team.  She has over 35 years industry experience across several disciplines including product development, manufacturing, and marketing. Beth has a degree in engineering physics from the University of Maine and an MBA from Boston University. 

Sappi’s is a renewable resource company with a stated purpose to develop fiber-based solutions for the marketplace.  With her work at Sappi Beth is focused on driving sustainability strategy and initiatives that help Sappi contribute more fully toward a circular economy. In addition to her North American research, development, and sustainability role, she directs the continuous improvement initiatives through the Lean Six Sigma discipline.  Beth is also globally involved with management of new technology platforms not only for innovative new paper and packaging products but also investigating opportunities to utilize cellulose in new markets. 

Beth is a member of TAPPI and in addition to serving on the Women in Industry Executive Committee she serves on the International Research Management Committee.  Beth is currently on the board of the Bio-renewable Development Consortium and serves as board chair of the UMaine Pulp and Paper Foundation.  With industry advocacy a priority, she is a member of the USDA Paper and Packaging Board focused on educating consumers on the industries positive sustainability story to drive more use of fiber-based packaging.

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Luigi Lazzareschi is the Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of all Italian and foreign companies of the Sofidel Group, the seventh largest manufacturer of tissue paper in the world (the second in Europe). 

Working in Sofidel since 1988, Luigi Lazzareschi paves the way for the growth of the Regina brand. In 1993, with the death of his father Giuseppe (co-founder of the Group with Emi Stefani), he takes over his responsibilities, guiding the next phase of expansion and internationalisation.

In 2012 he takes another historic step: the extension of production and commercial activities to the United States. Over these years he takes the decision to make sustainability a strategic lever for development and innovation. As a result of this commitment, in 2016 he is appointed Ambassador for the 50th anniversary of WWF Italy.

In 2018, Luigi Lazzareschi has been inducted in the Paper International Hall of Fame (PIHF), the small number of big names in the global tissue production industry. An induction that rewards his efforts in pursuing sustainable development and in expanding the business of the Group.

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Tonie Meyers is a multifunctional Senior Executive successful in leading complex business units within manufacturing sectors – ranging from startup and rapid growth to mature corporate settings – consistently enhancing operational, commercial and culture dynamics. She leverages a unique blend of business acumen coupled with experience gained in sales, operations and finance roles including capital accountability, culture harmonization and strategy execution to deliver integrated solutions that optimize performance.

At Billerud-North America, Tonie is responsible for the execution of the Billerud Paperboard North American go-to-market introduction, including sales and product strategy, systems integration, and administrative process development. She played a key leadership role in navigating acquisitions at KapStone that drove revenue from $300M to over $3B over ten years. Tonie was also a core member of a cross-functional team providing financial history and future projections during $210M sale of regional leader, Roanoke Rapids, from International Paper to KapStone. She organized and executed critical pricing and margin initiatives that conservatively generated $150M in cost recoveries for KapStone.

Tonie headed creation of new product categories at KapStone, providing an alternate substrate offering to industry leaders and expanding annual sales from 15K tons ($9.8M) to 650K tons ($422M). She implemented and supported numerous ERP solutions, including SAP, Microsoft and proprietary systems, resulting in higher productivity and efficiencies over a 30-year career.

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Pat Wilczynski joined International Paper in 1992. He began his career working in engineering and operating roles at the Erie, PA and Ticonderoga, NY facilities. Pat has held a variety of leadership roles in operations, technical services, manufacturing, environmental, health and safety and finance. In 2012, Pat was named vice president, Manufacturing, for Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2016, he was named vice president and general manager, Coated Paperboard.

In 2018, upon the divestiture of Coated Paperboard to Graphic Packaging, Pat was named vice president, Global Technology and Capital Effectiveness. In 2021, he was named senior vice president, Operational Excellence for Sylvamo as part of the International Paper’s divestiture of the printing papers business. Pat’s current responsibilities include environmental health and safety, operational excellence, capital effectiveness and global sourcing.

Pat served on the board of the American Forest and Paper Association. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology from Pennsylvania State University.