Tony Smurfit Named International CEO of the Year by Fastmarkets

Tony Smurfit, president and chief executive of Smurfit Westrock, has won one of Fastmarket’s most prestigious accolades: Forest Products International CEO of the Year 2025. He is the only person to have won this award twice.

Fastmarkets paid tribute to Smurfit’s “visionary leadership and transformative impact on the global packaging industry.”  Since Smurfit came to the helm of Smurfit Kappa in 2015, his achievements include delivering continuous strong financial performance, successfully defending against an unsolicited bid by International Paper in 2018 and, most recently, leading the combination of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock in 2024 to form a world leader in sustainable packaging.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of the entire Smurfit Westrock organization,” Smurfit said. “We have built the global leader in sustainable packaging and our objective is to be the best. We have a clear vision of where we want to be, how to get there and a formidable team to realize that vision.”

Fastmarkets has also recognized the leadership credentials of Saverio Mayer, Smurfit Westrock’s CEO of Europe, MEA and APAC, who won the “Forest Products European CEO of the Year.”

Mayer has had a long and distinguished career with Smurfit Westrock having previously held CEO positions in Italy, Poland and Russia. A staunch believer in plant-level autonomy, he has been instrumental in fostering a strong culture and high employee engagement.

Mayer also played a critical role in advancing sustainability practices and representing the packaging sector at EU level during the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) process, ensuring that Europe remains a leader in circularity and packaging sustainability. The Fastmarkets panel praised his ‘hands-on approach and deep understanding of business strategies.’

“It’s such an honor to get this recognition from Fastmarkets,” Mayer said. “Individual accolades are always nice, but they are really a testament to our entire team, their innovation and their drive as we work together to shape the future of sustainable packaging.”