Lecta Group CEO Gilles Van Nieuwenhuyzen will retire on 30 April, marking the end of his tenure following the company’s recent recapitalisation and strategic break-up into three independent businesses.
The move comes shortly after Lecta completed a financial restructuring and separated its operations into three standalone entities, each with its own management team and financing structure.
With the group structure dissolved, the role of a central Group CEO will be discontinued.
Mr Van Nieuwenhuyzen, who is set to turn 67 in the coming weeks, described the timing of his departure as a “natural moment” after overseeing both the recapitalisation and organisational overhaul.
“For me this is a natural moment to step down from my CEO role and enter a new phase in life,” he said. “The group has been recapitalised successfully, and we now have three companies in place with their own management and financing to drive value creation.”
Chairman Javier Abad credited Van Nieuwenhuyzen with steering the company through a period marked by significant volatility in energy markets, pricing and geopolitical conditions. He highlighted the CEO’s role in advancing the group’s strategic transformation and completing the recapitalisation process finalised earlier this month.
Following the restructuring, Lecta’s former operations will now be run as three separate companies:
- Garda Group (fine papers and distribution) will be led by Corrado Lignana, who has been with the company since 2012 and brings extensive commercial experience in fine papers and specialties.
- Adestor Self-Adhesives will remain under the leadership of Ricard Balart, who has headed the business since 2022 and has longstanding experience in the label and self-adhesives sector.
- Specialties (Torraspapel) will be overseen on an interim basis by Ruben Hernando from 1 May. Hernando, a former CEO of DS Smith Southern Europe, has more than 30 years of experience in the paper industry. A permanent appointment is expected to be announced in due course.
The restructuring marks a significant shift for Lecta, with the newly independent companies expected to pursue their own strategic and financial paths going forward.
