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October 6, 2025

Sappi North America appoints key management personnel

By Tina Fischer

Pulp and paper manufacturer Sappi has recently named three team members to new leadership positions, both in the Maine-based mills and across the company’s operations.

Headquartered in Boston, the company has mills in Skowhegan and Westbrook, as well as in Minnesota and Quebec. It also has corporate offices in Portland. 

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Kirk Ross

Kirk Ross, Marty Richard and Blue Keim are leading efforts to enhance efficiency across Sappi’s manufacturing platform. Ross and Richard are focused on operations across North America, while Keim is overseeing day-to-day operations at the Somerset Mill.

Ross was recently appointed vice president of manufacturing for Sappi North America. With nearly three decades in the industry, he brings deep technical knowledge and project management expertise to his new role, where he will oversee the company’s North American operations.

Richard joined the company in June as director of manufacturing. He is a fourth-generation pulp and paper professional, whose background includes senior roles at large pulp, tissue and chip mill complexes. At Sappi, he will help advance operational excellence across the company’s mill network.

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Marty Richard

Keim is the managing director of the Somerset Mill. His nearly 30 years of experience in pulp and paper operations, including prior leadership at Sappi’s Westbrook facility, make him a key asset in the company’s strategic growth in the region.
 
“These three leaders play pivotal roles in achieving operational excellence and optimizing Sappi’s nearly billion-dollar investment over the last decade in our assets and infrastructure,” said Michael Haws, CEO of Sappi North America. “Their leadership is critical to our success.”  

All three team members are graduates of the University of Maine system.

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Blue Keim

The recently completed $500 million transformation of one of the paper machines at the Somerset mill enables the company to produce high-quality, sustainable paperboard at commercial scale, a milestone in Sappi’s strategy to diversify product offerings and support a circular economy.
 
Sappi North America, Inc. employs approximately 2,100. It is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 12,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents.

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