RISI Top 50 Power List, The

PPI, Jul 2008 by Rushton, Mark, Rodden, Graeme, Zhu, Annie, Willis, Felicia, James, Rhiannon

Welcome to RISI's first ever Power List- a list of the 50 people who we consider to be the most influential in the global pulp and paper sector today. You may be wondering what this new addition to the magazine editorial calendar is all about and how we put it together, so before we reveal who has made the cut this year, here's some background information to help you understand the work behind the Power List.

Impartial aspirations: The editorial team at PPI and Pulp & Paper have canvassed opinion both inside and outside RISI to put together this ranking of influential people. Perhaps we should have called it the "Influential List", but that doesn't really have the same ring as the "Power List" does it? We've talked to representatives from all aspects of the industry to get their input into who is moving and shaking the pulp and paper sector and we've also gathered views from RISI's news editors, economists and engineers. The result is what we hope will be an impartial Who's Who's of the global pulp and paper business.

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" or so the saying goes. Putting together RISI's first ever "Power List", there has certainly been scope for "corruption" as we've received many suggestions and requests to add people to the list - unfortunately not many were accompanied with hefty bribes, so we listened to all the suggestions, took them on board and weighed up the pros/cons of each person individually.

Global take: While our aim has been to give a neutral view, as with every ranking that is not compiled using a scientific method, it is going to be influenced somewhat by our experiences. Luckily, RISI is well positioned to give a complete as possible overview of the industry given that we have offices based in all regions of the world and our clients and readers come from all areas of the industry: from the NGOs to the end consumers, via the suppliers and producers. As this is the first year that we're publishing the Power List, we've also decided to include a run down of some of the most influential people in the pulp and paper over the course of history which you can find on line at www.risiinfo.com.

Power to the people: We wanted to put together a list that was not just a run down of the top CEOs in the industry (even if the top 20 is heavily populated with C-level executives). Our aim is to provide a picture of the different influencers who contribute to our global industry, including representatives from academia, environmental organizations, paper buyers, suppliers, etc.

Thought provoking: We recognize that with any listing of this kind there are no doubt people that we've forgotten or people that you think should or should not be included. Our aim with the Power List is to open a dialog with our readers and to find out what you think of the people we've picked. Yes, some of them are controversial - and we want to hear from you about the people who haven't made the list and should have! Please email your comments to mrushton@risiinfo.com or better still, post them directly on the RISI Forum..... www.risiinfo.com/forums

1. Teguh Ganda Wijaya, APP

The CEO of APP simply must appear at the top of the list. Just 30 years ago, the company consisted of one mere tiny paper mill in Surabaya, Indonesia. Now look at it; number three in the world with an annual combined pulp, packaging and converting capacity of over 15 million tonnes/yr and is probably the most talked about company in the pulp and paper business globally. The illusive Teguh Ganda Wijaya maybe low profile, but he makes no bones about where he wants to be in the future. In one of his latest and very rare public messages, he stated: "It is APP's vision to become the 21st Century's premiere, world class pulp and paper manufacturer - a company dedicated to providing superior value to customers, employees and stakeholders".

A company that has an incredible and rapid rise the like of APP is bound to attract some criticism and it is no stranger to controversy, especially over its fiber supply which is monitored, analysed and scrutinised on an almost daily basis by every environmental group in the region and beyond. But APP is adamant that it rigorously enforces one of the world's strictest chain-of custody systems as well as owning one of the largest sustainably managed pulp wood plantations.

Since 1992, APP has focused its investments in the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta region in China, building large scale pulp and papermaking enterprises and installing the latest technology. Gold East, Ningbo Zhonghua, Gold Huasheng, Gold Hong Ye and Hainan Jinhai are just some of the high profile pulp and papermaking centers.

APP is part of the Sinar Mas Group which was founded by Mr. Eka Tjipta Wijaya, Teguh's father, a prominent Chinese entrepreneur from Asia. The group's four core businesses include pulp and paper, agriculture, food, real estate development and other industries linked to the pulp and paper industry.

2. John Faraci, International Paper