Lee Silk How is a global commodities executive with extensive experience spanning plastics, specialty elastomers, liquefied natural gas and pulp and paper. 

He currently serves as Global Pulp Commercial Head at RGE Pte. Ltd., where he leads the global commercial strategy for its integrated pulp portfolio, including businesses under Asia Pacific Resources International (APRIL), Asia Symbol and Bracell. In this role, he partners closely with regional commercial leaders, strategic planning and market intelligence teams to strengthen portfolio resilience, sharpen market positioning and drive long-term value creation across commodity cycles. 

Prior to joining RGE, Lee built his career at ExxonMobil and DuPont, where he held senior commercial and leadership roles across Asia in polyethylene, specialty elastomers and LNG. He has led cross-border commercial organizations, negotiated complex long-term energy agreements and successfully navigated periods of market volatility, from trade tensions to global supply chain disruptions. 

Lee holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the National University of Singapore. Trained as a chemical engineer, he combines technical depth with commercial discipline and strategic foresight. His experience across the full commodity value chain — from polymers and specialty materials to energy and fiber — gives him a uniquely integrated perspective on global trade flows, industrial demand dynamics and market transformation.

Guan Tao, Ph.D. in Economics, is the Global Chief Economist and Managing Director at BOC International. He is a doctoral supervisor and Dong Fureng Chair Professor at Wuhan University. Dr. Guan also holds several high-level roles, including Director of the Chief Economist (Development Strategy) Committee of Securities Association of China and a member of the Inaugural China Foreign Exchange Committee. He also serves as an executive council member of China Society for Financing & Banking and China Society of World Economics, as well as a council member of China International Finance Society. 

 A distinguished expert in macroeconomics and exchange rate research, Dr. Guan was a key architect of China’s foreign exchange reforms from 1994 to 2014. He was invited to advise the Premier at a high-level economic symposium for experts and entrepreneurs. He was named "Institutional Chief Economist of the Year" by Yicai (CFV) for six straight years (2020–2025) and recognized as a "Top Ten Macroeconomist" by Sina Finance in 2023 and 2024.

Dr. Guan is the author of the renowned "Renminbi Exchange Rate Sextet," a series spanning from China’s Opportunity: A Perspective on Global Economic Rebalancing (2010) to The Backlash of Currency (2025), which explores the evolution of the RMB and global markets. His latest 2025 book is The New Currency Era: Reshaping Global Finance and New Opportunities for the RMB.

Prof. Cao Zhenlei, a doctoral supervisor and professor-level senior engineer, has represented the 15th and 16th National Congresses of the Communist Party of China.He graduated from South China University of Technology and earned his PhD from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Throughout his career, Dr. Cao has held important positions, including president and secretary of the party committee at the China Pulp and Paper Research Institute, secretary general of China Technical Association of Paper Industry, deputy general manager of China Light Industry Corporation, and vice-chairman of the China Papermaking Association. In 2006, Dr. Cao co-founded the China Paper & Pulp Industry Chamber of Commerce (CPICC) with Li Hongxin, Li Jianhua and other industry leaders, served as its vice president.

Mr. Tom Wright is the Managing Director of Hawkins Wright. Over the past 25 years he has undertaken regular private client consultancy assignments on a wide range of topics related to the pulp and paper sector. He is the co-author of the Outlook for Market Pulp and Pulp Watch and is the principal author of the Asian multi-client studies. Foremost amongst these, Defining the China Market for Pulp Paper & Board was first published in 2002 and enjoys industry-wide recognition. Tom has also helped to establish two major events in the industry calendar; London Symposium in association with the BWPA, and Shanghai Pulp Week in association with CPICC. Tom travels widely, both in the course of market research and also as a frequent speaker to private meetings and industry conferences.

Mr. João Alberto Fernandez de Abreu joined Suzano in April 2024 and took over the role of CEO of Suzano from July 1st, 2024. Mr. Abreu's career has spanned 30 years. He spent 18 years at Shell, where he held various executive positions in Brazil, England and Argentina; six years at Raízen as Energy Director and Vice President of the Ethanol, Sugar and Energy Business and five years as CEO of Rumo S.A., a railway logistics company. Mr. Abreu earned his bachelor's degree of engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, and he holds an MBA degree from Fundação Dom Cabral and has completed executive courses at reputable international business institutions, such as IMD and Wharton. He is currently a member of the Board of ANTF (National Association of Railway Transporters), President of the Board of MoveInfra, and Director of Deinfra at FIESP, in addition to serving as Advisor to the Raízen Foundation and Advisor to the Pact against Hunger.

Mr. Li Zhan serves as the Director of the Pulp Decision-making Committee at China Paper Corporation and GM, Tiger Forest & Paper Group. He has previously held several positions, including Assistant to the General Manager, Deputy General Manager, BofD，General Manager of Yueyang Forest & Paper Co., Ltd.，a subsidiary of China Paper Corporation. Additionally, he served as the Director of the Purchasing Center at China Paper Corporation.

Aki Temmes is the Executive Vice President responsible for the UPM Fibres Business Area. UPM Fibres consists of UPM’s pulp, timber and forest businesses. UPM Pulp offers a versatile range of pulp products suitable for many end uses such as tissue, specialty papers, packaging papers, graphic papers and board. 

 With more than two decades at UPM, Aki brings deep industry insight and leadership experience across the company’s core businesses. As a member of the UPM Group Executive Team, he plays a central role in shaping the company’s overall strategic development. 

 Aki joined UPM in 2003 and initially held multiple roles in the company’s paper businesses. Subsequently, he was responsible for UPM’s timber business and for business control at UPM Fibres. Prior to his current role, he was Senior Vice President, Business Control and Finance Operations. 

 Aki Temmes holds a master’s degree in accounting and finance and an Executive MBA.

Patrick leads the analysis for wood pulp markets at Fastmarkets RISI. He is the author of the World Pulp Monthly and co-author of the World Pulp & Recovered Paper five- and fifteen-year forecasts. Prior to focusing on the paper grade pulp market, he published regular recurring reports and forecasts covering the dissolving pulp, cellulosic fiber, fluff pulp and nonwovens markets. Pat holds a Master of Science in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from the University of Rhode Island and a Bachelor of Arts from American University.

Guilherme Viesi joined CMPC Pulp in 2021 and currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer. He brings nearly two decades of international commercial experience, with a career spanning six countries and a strong focus on the pulp and paper industry. His background reflects deep expertise in global business management within this sector.

 In his current role, Guilherme leads and coordinates CMPC’s global commercial strategy, with a strong emphasis on building long-term partnerships, advancing a customer-centric approach, and driving sustainable growth aligned with the company’s 2030 Strategy. 

Prior to joining CMPC, Guilherme held senior leadership positions at leading pulp and paper companies, where he managed global key accounts and oversaw regional operations in Europe and other international markets. Earlier in his career, he worked in commercial and logistics roles at multinational corporations, developing extensive expertise in global supply chain management and strategic negotiations.

Guilherme holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Universidade Paulista in Brazil and an Executive MBA from HEC Lausanne Business School in Switzerland. He has also completed executive programs in Leadership and Negotiation at London Business School and Harvard Business School.

Recognized for his excellence in commercial leadership and sustainability, Guilherme has received several industry awards, including distinctions such as “Supplier of the Year” and “Best Social Sustainability Project.” He is also regarded as an influential voice in the global pulp and paper industry, actively participating in major international forums — including Tissue World Miami, Fastmarkets RISI São Paulo, and Shanghai Pulp Week — where he shares insights on market dynamics and sustainable growth strategies.

Mr. Cordeiro is a Forest Engineer and Business Administrator (MBA). He has all-embracing knowledge of the forest-based industry value chains. Mr. Cordeiro has more than 30-years’ experience in management consulting for the pulp, paper, packaging and forest-based related industries. He has led and participated in significant strategic and business intelligence studies for global industrial players. 

Mr. Cordeiro has strong strategic planning skills evidenced by the large strategic assignments with AFRY’s most demanding clients. During his career he has been involved in a wide variety of assignments including corporate strategy, mergers & acquisitions, due diligence and technical audits, economic feasibility studies, technological assessments, plantation-forest related strategies as well as pulp & paper and bio-economy product market assessments.

 Mr. Cordeiro client’s portfolio includes major international pulp, paper and packaging companies, but also medium-sized industry operators, start-ups, financial investors and governmental institutions. He works principally with AFRY’s key international customers particularly those in the Nordic countries, South and North America, Iberia and South East Asia.

Mr. Ismo Nousiainen, M.Sc. (Eng.) is the Chief Executive Officer of Metsä Fibre Oy, a part of Metsä Group, and a Member of the Metsä

Group Executive Management Team since January 2018. 

Mr. Nousiainen has worked for Metsä Fibre since 2001 and held various management positions. He obtained his M.Sc. degree in Engineering from Lappeenranta University of Technology in 1993, and has a wide and versatile experience on pulp business and production.

Mr. Li has over 30 years’ experience in pulp sales and marketing. His current position is General Manager of Business Units in Oji Paper International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (OPIT), the trading arm of Japanese Oji Group. His main responsibility is to lead his team to sell various grades of pulp produced in Oji Group to customers in Asia and mainly in China, which includes bleached and unbleached, chemical and mechanical, paper grade and specialty (DP), China domestic made and imported pulps etc. with annual volume over one million tons. Before joining in Oji, James took various S&M Management positions in several pulp and paper companies including CNPPC, April and Paccess etc. 

James has a technical background. He got both bachelor and master diploma on Paper Chemistry in 1985 and 1988 respectively. He also obtained his Executive MBA from Guanghua Business School in Peking University in 2005.

Jeff Yang joined Suzano in 2007 and is now President of Suzano Asia - Pulp Business. Prior to Suzano, Jeff served as president and held other executive positions with various companies in Beijing, Hong Kong, and the USA. He is currently Honorary Vice President of CPICC (China Paper and Pulp Industry Chamber of Commerce). Jeff Yang holds BA degree in Economics and MA degree in Business Administration from the University of International Business and Economics. After graduation, he worked as a lecturer at the University of International Business and Economics and the National University of Singapore.