Strong Leadership

Stew joined the company in January 2019 and brings a wealth of experience as a senior manager and executive within the pulp and paper industry. He has 30 years of industry experience, first starting at Catalyst Paper in 1990. He held roles as Vice President of Technology and Sourcing and as General Manager at the Powell River mill. He has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a master’s degree in Pulp & Paper Engineering, and an Executive Master of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University.

Martin Palacios serves as Paper Excellence’s Chief Information Officer. He has more than 20 years experience as a global business leader in diverse, multi-national, geographically distributed and data-driven companies.  Martin’s technical expertise has enabled him to successfully build business-focussed global IT strategies, deliver innovative technology, digital transformation, and cyber security. He has a MBA from Royal Roads University and an undergraduate degree in math and science.

Blair serves as Vice President of Canadian Public Affairs and is responsible for government, stakeholder and Rights-holder engagement, partnership and public policy leadership, and Indigenous and community relations, as well as regulatory and corporate affairs. Previously in her career Blair has held leadership roles in the critical minerals and mining sector in the areas of sustainability, Indigenous and community relations and corporate affairs, as well as in government. At Natural Resources Canada she served as Chief of Staff to the Minister working closely with the forestry, energy, and mining sectors. Blair has served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Mining Association of Canada, and the Canadian American Business Council. She has a degree in political science and economics and a master’s in business degree from Queens University.

Leigh serves as Vice President, Human Resources and has been with Paper Excellence since 2018. She is responsible for all aspects of HR, including leadership and organizational development, talent acquisition, payroll, employee wellness, and labor relations. Prior to joining the Howe Sound operation, then moving to headquarters to run Talent Management, Leigh spent a number of years in human resources roles at Canadian Forest Products Ltd. She has a bachelor’s degree from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Northern British Columbia.

Hamish joined Paper Excellence through the acquisition of Catalyst Paper and today, serves as the Vice President of Supply Chain. He has worked in leadership roles in sales, procurement and supply chain since 2003. In his previous position, he played a critical role managing the acquisition of the Rumford and Biron mills and later integrating them into the Catalyst asset portfolio. Hamish has a strong commitment to continuous improvement and drives change in operations and supply chain, while effectively managing complex supplier challenges. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Studies from Queen’s University and a MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Graham serves as Vice President of Environment, Health & Safety and Corporate Communications for Paper Excellence. He has been practicing as a specialist in the resource industry for 31 years. At Paper Excellence, he is responsible for managing environmental issues, sustainability practices, government affairs, indigenous and community relations and branding; he also serves as the company’s chief spokesperson. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Engineering from The University of British Columbia and a MBA from Simon Fraser University.  Graham is involved with numerous ENGO groups on issues relating to climate change, recycling and deforestation.

Andy Reyes is a pulp and paper industry veteran with almost 40 years of. His depth of knowledge and expertise of technical improvements allows him to identify and advance operational efficiencies and successfully implement cost initiatives. He has served in numerous roles for Paper Excellence; he currently oversees a number of Western mills, but has also led mill optimization efforts. He joined the company in 2013 and enjoys serving as a coach and mentor to mill management teams. Andy has a bachelor’s degree in Management and Industrial Engineering from Mapúa University.

Chris serves as Vice President of Fibre for Paper Excellence. He has been practicing as a forest professional in British Columbia for 28 years. At Paper Excellence, he manages the fibre supply team and is responsible for fibre supply at all Paper Excellence mills across Canada. Prior to joining Paper Excellence, Chris held roles as Assistant Deputy Minister, Timber Operations, Pricing and First Nations within the BC government and Chief Forester at both Canfor and Tembec. He holds an undergraduate degree in Forest Management from the University of British Columbia.

Carlo has 30 years of experience in the pulp and paper industry. He has worked in various technical and production roles at the Elk Falls and Port Alberni mills and then in 2008, Carlo took a corporate role with a focus on energy issues and development of new business opportunities. He is also the Project Operations Director for the Prince Albert Mill restart. In addition to his role at Paper Excellence, he has also participated in several committees reviewing energy and conservation policies in British Columbia, and is presently the chairman of the Association of Major Power Customers of BC (formerly JIESC) and the former chair of the BC Pulp & Paper Bioproducts Alliance. Carlo has a master’s degree in Pulp & Paper Engineering from University of British Columbia.

Christophe brings previous industry experience having worked for Abitibi Consolidated, International Paper and Stora Enso and leads Catalyst’s sales efforts in Latin America. He brings 19 years of past experience in a variety of sales and management positions, for a wide range of products, and in the US, Canadian and Asian markets. Most recently, Christophe served as Director of Sales of Northeast US and Eastern Canada for NewPage. Christophe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Hobart College and Master of Arts degrees in French Studies from the University at Albany and New York University.

Phone: 908-334-6235

Edwin Widjaja joined Paper Excellence in 2011, bringing 25 years of technical expertise and depth of knowledge in the pulp and paper industry. Edwin’s extensive experience of the commercial side of the industry was gained through his previous experience as head of Fibre Procurement at a global producer of pulp and paper products. Edwin holds a bachelor’s degree in business management.

Funadi Wongso serves as the Vice President of Global Financial Reporting and Treasury for the Paper Excellence Holdings Corporation and is responsible for financial reporting, treasury operations, and risk management. He has over twenty years of financial leadership experience, leading areas of accounting, tax, legal and commercial in several industries, working in North America and Asia. He was most recently the Chief Financial Officer of a US towel and tissue manufacturer and has held positions with RGE, Citibank, and Goldman Sachs, Singapore. Funadi has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, as well as a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a MBA in Finance and Global Management from the University of California, Berkeley.

Charles Guo has a long tenure with Paper Excellence in Corporate Procurement. Before joining the company, Charles worked as General Manager for a major pulp and paper company for a number of years, and prior to that he worked as purchasing director and purchasing manager for two multinational companies in the US. Charles has extensive experience in purchasing and supply chain management and has a MBA and PhD in engineering.         

Davis is a seasoned innovation professional with over 19 years of combined experience in advanced research, operations and innovation. He is a proud second generation Canadian forest products professional.

He was previously a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Global Investment and Innovation Incentives practice based in Vancouver where he assisted companies ranging from start-ups to multi-national corporations innovate. Prior to consulting, Davis held operations and technical leadership roles in the pulp and paper industry. Davis is a graduate of the UBC Chemical and Biological Engineering program.

Davis believes in giving back to his community and volunteers as a board member of the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation, BC Net Zero Innovation Network and UBC’s Clean Energy Research Centre.

Lana joined Paper Excellence as Director, Indigenous Relations in late 2019, having spent almost 20 years in the forest industry managing Indigenous relations programs in Canada.  During this time, Lana has successfully built a best practices Indigenous engagement platform that now includes a leadership vision and enabling policies that drive both corporate and operational giving programs. Under her leadership the company is a member in good standing of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, with third party certification under the Progressive Aboriginal Relations program. In its short life span the Indigenous Relations team lead has developed over 10 separate MOUs/LOUs/fibre supply agreements in BC and Saskatchewan and assisted in the securing of significant government funds. Lana Wilhelm builds bridges towards reconciliation between Indigenous, corporate, and government agencies. She is a Registered Professional Forester and holds bachelor’s degrees in both Art and Science from Concordia University PQ and the University of Northern British Columbia respectively.