Ahlstrom appoints Marco Levi as president and CEO, as of June 16, replacing Jan Lång, who will continue as president and CEO until June 15; following on company's restructuring 'time is right' for leadership change, says chairman

Debra Garcia

HELSINKI , May 16, 2014 (press release) – The Board of Directors of Ahlstrom Corporation has appointed Marco Levi (Doctor, Industrial Chemistry) President and CEO of the company, effective June 16, 2014. Jan Lång will continue as President and CEO until June 15, 2014 and will thereafter as needed support Marco Levi as a special advisor in order to ensure a smooth transition of the responsibilities.

Ahlstrom's Chairman of the Board, Pertti Korhonen:

"Jan Lång has been leading Ahlstrom since January 2009. During his leadership, the company has gone through a significant transition in line with the strategy that was announced in 2009. The business portfolio has been restructured and the next phase of the company's strategy has been defined. In parallel, significant progress has been made in establishing the foundation for profitable growth. The planned restructuring of the business portfolio, including Munksjö and Suominen transactions, has now been successfully concluded. The time is now right to pass the leadership baton for the next phase of the strategic plan. I want to thank Jan Lång warmly for leading Ahlstrom through this challenging phase of transformation".

Dr. Levi (b. 1959, Italian citizen) joins Ahlstrom from a leading materials company Styron (www.styron.com) where he was Senior Vice President and Business President of Emulsion Polymers. Prior to that, he has held various senior management positions at the Dow Chemical Company. Marco Levi's CV is available on Ahlstrom's internet site at www.ahlstrom.com.

"We are pleased to welcome Marco Levi to Ahlstrom. He has a strong track record in leading global materials technology business. His focus will be on increasing Ahlstrom's shareholder value by improving the profitability of the company and by creating profitable growth in line with Ahlstrom's strategy announced in September 2013", Pertti Korhonen says.

Ahlstrom in brief
Ahlstrom is a high performance fiber-based materials company, partnering with leading businesses around the world to help them stay ahead. We aim to grow with a product offering for clean and healthy environment. Our materials are used in everyday applications such as filters, medical fabrics, life science and diagnostics, wallcoverings and food packaging. In 2013, Ahlstrom's net sales from the continuing operations amounted to EUR 1 billion. Our 3,500 employees serve customers in 24 countries. Ahlstrom's share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. More information available at www.ahlstrom.com.

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