Farncombe steps up as ACN (Europe) vice-president

Stephen Farncombe has been appointed vice president for the U.K. and Ireland at ACN (Europe) which principally exports paper and plastics to the  paper mills in China.

With its European headquarters in Rotterdam, ACN said it is “celebrating 25 years as a leading exporter of recyclable products and 15 years of operation in Europe and the UK”

According to the executive managing director for Europe, Wade Schuetzeberg: “Steve has been an asset to the company since the day he started – this promotion is a natural step for both him and our team based in the UK.”

ACN is served in Europe by its offices in Rotterdam and Manchester, both of whom contribute to the exporting of more than 10 million tonnes of paper for recycling annually.  The company is the primary supplier to Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited.

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Vermeulen takes on recovered paper chairmanship

The European Recovered Paper Council (ERPC) has elected Henri Vermeulen as chairman, taking over from Beatrice Klose of Intergraf.

Mr Vermeulen is vice president paper for recycling of the Smurfit Kappa Group and represents the Confederation of European Paper Industries at ERPC. His ERPC chairmanship began on 1 January 2015 and he will remain in this position until the end of 2016.

The ERPC was set up as an industry self-initiative in November 2000 to monitor the progress towards meeting the paper recycling targets set out in the 2000 European Declaration on Paper Recycling. In 2011, the ERPC committed itself to meeting and maintaining both the voluntary recycling target of 70% by 2015.

“The ERPC has been very successful in carrying out qualitative actions on paper recovery, to improve the quality of paper for recycling in Europe. The challenge is to maintain the current high collection and recycling volumes in Europe, despite changing paper consumption patterns”, said Mr Vermeulen.

Mr Vermeulen, 49, holds a master’s degree in Law from Maastricht University. Since 1997, he has been responsible in Europe for all recovered paper activities, first at Kappa Packaging and since 2005 for the merged Smurfit Kappa group.

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Mattravers joins WYG

Consultancy firm WYG has appointed Nigel Mattravers as head of its UK waste and resource management team.

The company said: “Mr Mattravers will be instrumental in delivering benefits to the growing network of clients across the UK and building on the existing range of services that the company is offering in this sector.”

WYG said that he brings a wealth of UK and international experience in the resource management sector. “He is well known to the industry both from his previous positions with Grant Thornton and Mouchel Parkman, but also his professional roles with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), as Chair of the Resources Management Panel, amongst others.”

Mr Mattravers commented: “I am excited with this new opportunity and look forward to leading the already well established and successful team to make the most of the opportunities that the move to the resource economy will bring.”

Marc Davies, head of geo-environment and waste resources at WYG, added: “Nigel is internationally respected in the industry for his expertise and his thought leadership. We are extremely pleased to welcome him to head our growing team of skilled professionals. His appointment will significantly boost our services in this field and benefit our clients across the UK.”

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NI chief to join Scotland’s Environment Agency

Terry A’Hearn has been selected as the new chief executive of Scotland’s Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Mr A’Hearn currently holds a similar post in Northern Ireland as chief executive of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and, said SEPA, “has a strong background in environmental protection and regulation.”

He has previously worked for the international environmental consultancy WSP Environment and Energy, and also for the Environment Protection Authority in the Australian State of Victoria.

Current chief executive James Curran is to remain in post until his successor can take up his position.