Stora Enso CEO, Annica Bresky, and IUCN-US CEO and IUCN Director, North America, Tracy Farrell, Elected to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Board of Directors

WASHINGTON and OTTAWA, Oct. 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Michael Doss, President and CEO of Graphic Packaging International and Chair of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Board of Directors, is pleased to welcome two new members to the SFI Board of Directors, Ms. Annica Bresky, President and CEO, Stora Enso, and Dr. Tracy Farrell, Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) North America Office, and CEO of IUCN-US.

"SFI is thrilled to have Annica and Tracy join our board. These two global sustainability champions know how to deliver results that are good for people and the planet. They will bring their knowledge, expertise, and passion for advancing sustainability and responsible business practices to supporting SFI's mission: advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaboration," says Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI.

Ms. Annica Bresky, President and CEO of Stora Enso?Ms. Bresky leads Stora Enso, a global company with 22,000 staff working across 60 sites mainly in Europe, Latin America, and China. Stora Enso is also one of the largest private forest owners in the world. In 2021, it had more than ?10.2 billion in sales. Sustainability and responsible business practices are deeply embedded in the company's strategy. Part of the global bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable products in packaging, biomaterials, wood construction, and paper.

"I have more than two decades of experience in advancing a sustainable business agenda. I believe that long-term business success is possible only if the business is regenerative for the societies we operate in socially and environmentally. I'm looking forward to collaborating with my fellow SFI board members and the SFI network to advance sustainable business globally," says Ms. Bresky.

Ms. Bresky is a board member of the Confederation of European Paper Industries (Cepi), and the Swedish Forest Industries Federation (Skogsindustrierna). She is also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and the Executive Committee of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) where she contributes to cross-industrial and global perspectives on sustainability. Annica holds an Executive MBA from Mgruppen in Stockholm and a M.Sc. in Aquatic and Environmental Engineering.

Dr. Tracy Farrell, CEO, IUCN-US and Director, IUCN North America Office?Dr. Farrell, has more than 20 years of experience leading global conservation and sustainable development programs and projects. Dr. Farrell's role at IUCN allows her to focus on large landscape management and nature-based solutions including incentivizing and unlocking financing for these solutions. Her career also includes years of work designing and managing sustainable forested areas. At IUCN's North American program, she leads policy development and member engagement work in the US and Canada, fundraising and implementing new regional initiatives. As the IUCN-US CEO, she oversees the operations and fundraising efforts of this "friends of" for IUCN.

"I am a believer in the work that SFI is doing, and I'm extremely pleased to become part of it. I have seen that it takes a village of partners to broaden how the private and public sectors work together to find the best long-term sustainability solutions. I'm excited to have an opportunity to help SFI maximize the impact of its strong sustainability partnerships," says Dr. Farrell.

SFI was granted IUCN membership in 2016, and SFI is also a member of CC-IUCN (Canada) and IUCN. The IUCN is devoted to helping the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environmental and development challenges. It is the world's oldest and largest global environmental organization, with almost 1,300 government and NGO members and more than 15,000 volunteer experts in 185 countries.

Prior to her role at IUCN, Dr. Farrell spent 16 years working for Conservation International (CI) as Vice President for Delivery and Monitoring and Vice President for Asia Pacific Strategies and Fundraising. Additional experience while also at CI, included setting up a regional transboundary water resources program, setting up trust funds and REDD+ payment schemes, starting the first freshwater and ecosystem services initiative, and advancing CI's work on wildlife trade. Dr. Farrell holds a PhD from Virginia Tech in Forestry/Natural Resource Management.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Board of Directors sets the organization's strategic direction and is responsible for overseeing and advancing SFI's programs, standards, and strategies. The 18-member Board is comprised of three chambers representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. SFI Board members include executive-level representatives of conservation organizations, academic institutions, Indigenous Peoples, Black American landowners, public officials, workforce representatives, and the forest products sector. This diversity reflects a variety of interests in the forestry community.

Ms. Bresky and Dr. Farrell were elected to the SFI Board on October 12, 2022.

About SFI

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI) advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, nonprofit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development.

Media Contact

David Folkerson
VP Communications
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
613-565-0627
[email protected]