Forest industry group Stora Enso has appointed the executive management team that will lead the new company planned to take over the group’s forest assets. The spin-off is expected to be completed during the first half of 2027.
The move marks another step in Stora Enso’s strategy to separate parts of its operations to sharpen strategic focus and potentially unlock greater value from its forestry holdings. The new company will be run by a compact executive team of four members.
As previously announced, Tuomas Hallenberg assumed the role of President and CEO of the future company in January 2026. He will be joined by Martin Ros as Chief Financial Officer, Johan Djurberg as Head of Forestry and Pontus Selderman as General Counsel.
Extensive experience in the forest sector
Tuomas Hallenberg brings extensive experience from the Nordic forest industry. He most recently led Stora Enso’s Forest business area, a position he took up in 2024.
Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at the Finnish state forestry organisation Metsähallitus as well as at forest industry group UPM.
Hallenberg holds a Master of Science degree in Forestry from the University of Joensuu in Finland.
New CFO from within Stora Enso
Martin Ros, who has held several leadership positions within Stora Enso, will take the role of Chief Financial Officer in the new company.
His most recent position was Senior Vice President for Strategy and Finance within the group’s Biomaterials business area.
Ros studied forestry at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and business administration at Umeå University.
Pontus Selderman will also join the leadership team from within Stora Enso. He currently serves as Senior Vice President responsible for legal affairs and regulatory matters related to the group’s forest operations and ESG reporting.
Selderman holds a Master of Laws degree from Uppsala University and has worked extensively with corporate law, compliance and intellectual property matters.
Senior forestry executive joins from Billerud
The only external appointment in the management team is Johan Djurberg, who currently serves as Vice President responsible for wood supply at Billerud.
He is expected to join the new company no later than June 2026.
Earlier in his career, Djurberg worked at Stora Enso in several senior positions related to wood supply, forestry operations and supply chain management.
He also holds a Master of Science degree in Forestry from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå.
Strategic separation of forest assets
The spin-off of forest assets forms part of Stora Enso’s broader strategy to streamline its operations.
The group owns extensive forest holdings, particularly in Finland and Sweden. By placing these assets in a separate company, the management aims to create clearer governance structures and potentially improve how the forestry business is valued by investors.
Similar corporate separations have previously taken place within the Nordic forest industry, where companies have sought to distinguish raw material assets from industrial production.
The future company is expected to play a central role in managing Stora Enso’s forest resources, which are crucial for supplying raw materials to the group’s pulp, packaging board and biomaterials businesses.
At the same time, investors are closely watching the development, as a separation of assets could significantly influence how the company is valued in capital markets.
Source: Stora Enso
