DS Smith hires new head of sustainability

Reporting to Greg Dawson, director of corporate affairs, van Tol will spearhead sustainability and public affairs across the DS Smith Group including its packaging, paper and recycling divisions.

Wouter van Tol joins the company after three years as global head of corporate responsibility at food packaging company Huhtamaki, where he was responsible for developing and delivering its packaging for good sustainability strategy. An industry heavyweight with over two decades of experience, van Tol previously held senior positions in Procter & Gamble, Nestlé and Samsung.

‘I was attracted to DS Smith because it has a clear strategy for sustainability, great people, and a circular product that is recyclable in both theory and practice,’ commented Wouter van Tol. ‘All of these are important success factors in today’s changing world and I’m excited to build on these strong foundations and contribute to DS Smith’s role as the leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions.’

Van Tol joins DS Smith at a crucial time as the company reaches three of its key sustainability strategy milestones. The company has been recognized for its strong credentials by the CDP and ISS and has recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its partnership with the Ellen Macarthur Foundation.

Greg Dawson, director of corporate affairs at DS Smith added: ‘Sustainability is core to our business and the driving force of our company purpose, “Redefining packaging for a changing world”. Wouter will help us reach new levels in sustainability so that we can support our customers and all stakeholders even further, in what is a rapidly changing world.’