ATLANTA, Ga. – George F. Martin, president and chief executive officer, NewPage Corporation, has been named winner of the 2013 PIMA Executive of the Year Award. The award is PIMA’s highest honor and is bestowed on senior-level executives in the pulp, paper or converting industries for excellence in management and outstanding contributions to the industry as a whole.

“During an exemplary career in senior management and operations spanning 29 years in the industry George Martin has exemplified the strong leadership skills and vision that are absolutely critical for success in today’s global pulp and paper business,” said Larry N. Montague, TAPPI president and CEO. “His leadership and hard work provided important contributions to NewPage’s growth and emergence as one of North America’s leading printing and specialty paper producers. His accomplishments as a leader and his many contributions to the industry make him an outstanding choice as PIMA Executive of the Year.”  

Martin has been president and chief executive officer for NewPage since 2010 and is a member of the company’s board of directors. He is responsible for the company’s strategy and mission, annual goals, and yearly revenue and profitability targets; and more recently, for the successful emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Over the past decade, he has been an instrumental leader throughout the company’s mergers and acquisitions as well as in the establishment of NewPage Corporation in 2005.

He began his career with Westvaco holding various key operating, technical and staff roles.  In 2002, he became director of integration for MeadWestvaco Papers Group and was then named vice president and mill manager of the Escanaba, Michigan facility in 2003.  In 2005, he was promoted to senior vice president of operations for NewPage where he was responsible for the company’s 10 manufacturing facilities.
 
Martin is an active member of various industry organizations and currently holds board positions at the American Forest and Paper Association and the National Association of Manufacturers. He holds a B.A. degree in chemistry from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and a doctorate in organic chemistry from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.  For more information on the Executive of the Year award see the PIMA Honors link