Leadership Team

Juan Carlos Bueno

Chief Executive Officer, President and Director of Mercer

Juan Carlos Bueno joined Mercer as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director in May 2022. Since 2018, he has served as the Chairman of the Board and co-founder of Global Energy which produces novel green energy generation devices.

Mr. Bueno has extensive global industrial and product experience and a proven track record of achieving commercial and operational excellence over a 30-year career. Before his position at Global Energy, from 2011 to 2017, Mr. Bueno was Executive Vice President and Divisional CEO, Biomaterials for Stora Enso, where he designed and led their new biomaterials division, growing sales and profitability. Mr. Bueno created a vision and strategy to expand into new sectors, such as lignin and hemicellulose. He also has broad experience in investor relations, board interaction and other key CEO functions.

Mr. Bueno has also previously served in executive positions, including Vice President, Crop Protection, President Agar Cross, Commercial Manager, Global Financial Analyst and Business Consultant with EI DuPont de Nemours & Company in Brazil (now DowDuPont), UK, Argentina, Colombia and the USA.

Mr. Bueno holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and a graduate degree in Negotiation & International Relations.  He is a Director of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI).

Mr. Bueno also serves as an Environmental, Health, and Safety Committee member.

Richard Short

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

Richard Short, Chief Financial Officer with Mercer since June 2023, previously served as Vice President, Controller. Before this, he served as Controller from November 2010 to February 2014 and joined Mercer in July 2007 as Director, Corporate Finance. His previous roles include Controller, Financial Reporting from 2006 to 2007; Director, Corporate Finance from 2004 to 2006 with Catalyst Paper Corporation; and Assistant Controller at the Alderwoods Group Inc.

Mr. Short holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia.

Guy Arguin

Chief Human Resources Officer

Guy Arguin, Chief Human Resources Officer, joined Mercer in January 2022. Mr. Arguin’s previous roles included Senior Vice President, Human Resources for the Global Resources sector of SNC-Lavalin and Senior Vice President Human Resources and Human Resources Director roles with British American Tobacco across the Middle East, Northern Europe, France and Canada. Guy started his professional career with Domtar in Montreal.

Mr. Arguin has diverse Human Resources experiences across several sectors, such as Engineering and Consulting Services, Oil & Gas, Mining, Consumer Products and Pulp and Paper. Guy holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the Universite du Quebec en Outaouais and a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Relations from McGill University. He is also a Certified Human Resources Professional and a certified Executive Coach from the Academy of Executive Coaching in the U.K.

Adolf Koppensteiner

Chief Operating Officer, Pulp Products

Adolf Koppensteiner, Chief Operating Officer, Pulp Products with Mercer since 2017, has been the Managing Director, Operations and Technical of the Stendal mill since October 2013. He served as Mill Manager at the Rosenthal mill since joining Mercer in 2007. Previously, Mr. Koppensteiner served as Managing Director of Kvaerner Central Europe, responsible for Sales and Service for fifteen years. His entire career has been in the pulp and paper industry, where he has held various positions and gained significant experience in engineering, construction projects, and pulp mill start-ups, as well as in developing and optimizing operating processes.

Dr. Carsten Merforth

Chief Operating Officer, Wood Products

Dr. Carsten Merforth has been the Chief Operating Officer, Wood Products with Mercer since 2022. In this role, he leads the development and execution of strategic business plans covering all solid wood products mills within Mercer reporting to him. He partners with cross-functional and business colleagues to meet all relevant organizational and project goals. In addition to supporting the growth and development of the teams and leaders reporting to him, the COO ensures the health and safety of all employees are paramount across all facilities under his supervision. 

Since its acquisition in April 2017, Dr. Merforth was the Managing Director of the Friesau sawmill, Mercer Timber Products. Before that, he was the Managing Director of several high-capacity sawmills for Rettenmeier Holding AG and Pfeifer Holz GmbH. Dr. Merforth has more than 20 years of experience in the industrial sawmilling business and has extensive experience operating both saw and planing mills in Germany and Eastern Europe.

Dr. Merforth holds a Master of Forestry degree from Georg August University and a Doctorate of Forestry Economics degree from Albert Ludwigs University.

Alistair Skey

Chief Information Officer

Alistair Skey has been Mercer’s Chief Information Office since July 2023. Mr. Skey is a seasoned technology leader with deep experience in mining, public education, and forest products. He joined Mercer in 2012 and has held several information technology roles before being appointed Mercer’s first global Director of Infrastructure and Cybersecurity in 2021, having previously served as Mercer’s Manager of Cybersecurity in 2018.

Mr. Skey has held information technology leadership positions in the mining and education sectors in Australia and Canada over an information technology career spanning 30 years.

Wolfgang Beck

Senior Vice President, Global Wood Sourcing

Wolfgang Beck, Senior Vice President, Global Wood Sourcing since 2022, has served in different leading functions in Mercer’s German wood business since 2005, and most recently, he was Managing Director of Mercer Holz since 2016.  In the past, Mr. Beck worked for a German state forest organization and in the German financial sector at the beginning of his career. He has been Managing Director of wood2M since 2016, a Joint Venture Company of Mercer and another Pulp and Paper Manufacturer.

Mr. Beck is a committee chairman or member of various wood industry associations.

Wolfram Ridder

Senior Vice President, Innovation & Government Relations

Wolfram Ridder has served as Senior Vice President, Innovation & Government Relations since 2023. Starting in 2005, Mr. Ridder served as Vice President, Business Development, and from 2001 to 2005 he served as Managing Director at our Mercer Stendal mill. Mr. Ridder has also served as Vice President Pulp Operations, Assistant to Chief Executive Officer from 1999 to 2005 and Assistant Managing Director of the Rosenthal mill from 1995 to 1998. 

Before joining Mercer, Mr. Ridder worked as a scientist for pulping technology development at the German Federal Research Center for Wood Science and Technology in Hamburg from 1988 to 1995.

Mr. Ridder holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Wood Science and Forest Product Technology degree from Hamburg University.

Brian Merwin

Senior Vice President, Mass Timber

Brian Merwin has been Senior Vice President, Mass Timber since June 2023.  In this role, he leads all aspects of Mercer’s mass timber business and focuses on Mercer’s ambition to lead in mass timber markets. Previously, through his role as Vice President, Corporate Development, Brian has had active involvement in mass timber since Mercer’s market entry. Since joining Mercer in 2005, Brian has served as Director, Strategic and Business Initiatives and Business Analyst.

Mr. Merwin holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia. He has over 18 years of industry experience, including M&A, corporate development, strategy, capital projects, innovation, and business integration. He currently serves as Chairman of Performance BioFilaments Inc. and is a past director of Cariboo Pulp and Paper and Co-Chair of the BC Pulp and Paper Coalition.

Bill R. Adams

Vice President, Sustainability and Innovation

ill Adams serves as Vice President, Sustainability & Innovation for Mercer’s global operations. Mr. Adams has worked in various leadership roles in Canada and the United States over the past 33 years, focusing on engineering, manufacturing, and corporate development. These roles took place with Weyerhaeuser and Domtar before joining Canfor in 2014, where Bill served as the Sr. Director, Sustainability, Strategy & Innovation based in Vancouver. Before this role, Mr. Adams served as Engineering & Strategy Planning Manager at Domtar’s Kamloops mill in British Columbia. 

Bill Adams is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, and an MBA in International Management from APIU. He has been a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia since 1987.

Shahed Tootoonian

Vice President, Corporate Development

Shahed Tootoonian has been Vice President, Corporate Development since July 2023. Prior to this, she served as Director, Finance & Sustainability since October 2022 and Senior Manager, Finance since 2020. 

Ms. Tootoonian’s professional career began at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where the experience she gained brought her to Mercer in 2013 as a Senior Analyst, External Reporting. In 2016, Ms. Tootoonian moved into Corporate Development, aiding Mercer’s acquisition of the Mercer Timber Products’ (MTP) sawmill in Friesau and Mercer Peace River (MPR) pulp mill in Alberta, with key roles in the following expansion of MTP. The MPR acquisition brought her back to the accounting team as Senior Manager, Finance leading and integrating the MPR team into corporate processes. In becoming the Director, Finance & Sustainability in 2022, Ms. Tootoonian was the project manager of Mercer’s 2022 Sustainability Report.

Ms. Tootoonian is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

Genevieve Stannus

Vice President, Treasurer

Genevieve Stannus, Vice President, Treasurer of Mercer since 2021, has served as Treasurer from July 2005 to 2020 and was the Senior Financial Analyst when joining Mercer in August 2003. Before her role at Mercer, Ms. Stannus held Senior Treasury Analyst positions with Catalyst Paper Corporation and Pacifica Papers Inc.

Ms. Stannus is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia, Canada.

Cindy Alekson

Vice President, Controller

Cindy Alekson has served as Vice President, Controller since April 2023. Before this, she held the position of Director, External Reporting since joining Mercer in November 2011. Her previous roles include management positions responsible for financial reporting for public companies across several industries, including mining, high-tech and consumer products.

Ms. Alekson holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia.

Eric X. Heine

Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Logistics for Asia and North America

Eric X. Heine has served as Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Logistics for Asia and North America since June 2005. Mr. Heine was Vice President, Pulp and International Paper Sales and Marketing for Domtar Inc. from 1999 to 2005.

Mr. Heine has extensive experience in the international pulp and paper industry, including developing strategic sales channels and market partners to build corporate brands. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry (Wood Science) from the University of Toronto.

Uwe Bentlage

Vice President, Pulp Sales and Marketing for Europe; Managing Director, Mercer Pulp Sales

Uwe Bentlage has been Vice President, Pulp Sales & Marketing Europe and Managing Director of Mercer Pulp Products in Berlin since 2017. He joined the company in 2004. Mr. Bentlage is distinguished by over 25 years of international market experience with wood-based products and the paper and pulp industry.

Mr. Bentlage’s professional career began in 1994 at EGGER Holzwerkstoffe, Austria, in a sales role focused on Poland and Russia. Managerial responsibilities in sales, product management, and PMI after acquisitions soon followed, rounding off his station with the company. In 1999, he moved to Ekman, one of the leading global trading houses for pulp and paper. From their Brussels location, he took over responsibility for various paper and pulp agencies and marketing products in Germany and other European countries.

Mr. Bentlage graduated in business administration from the Universities of Applied Sciences in Bielefeld and Rotterdam (HES), Netherlands.

Nils Hegerding

Vice President, Pulp Sales and Marketing for Europe; Managing Director, Mercer Pulp Sales

Nils Hegerding has been Vice President Pulp Sales & Marketing Europe since 2017 and Managing Director of Mercer Pulp Products, Berlin, since 2022. He joined Mercer as a Sales Director in 2006, before which he worked for GUSCO Handel, a pulp and paper agent in Hamburg as a sales manager for pulp and paper products from various regions and suppliers.

Mr. Hegerding has more than 20 years of experience in the sale of pulp, paper, pigments and biochemicals in various markets across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Nils Hegerding holds an Executive Master in General Management degree from SGMI, St. Gallen.

Mark Goebel

Vice President, Health and Safety

Mark Goebel serves as Vice President, Health and Safety for Mercer International Inc. Mr. Goebel joined Mercer in 2016 as the Health and Safety Manager of the Celgar Mill and more recently served as Director, Health and Safety overseeing global operations. 

Mr. Goebel has over 30 years of experience in Emergency Response and Health & Safety Management, previously holding positions with Weyerhaeuser Canada, Norske Skog, and Catalyst Paper Corporation. Mr. Goebel’s experience includes ten years guiding emergency response and prevention programs for underground and open pit mining operations in remote regions of northern Canada, Mexico, and the USA. 

Mr. Goebel currently serves as WorkSafeBC’s communication interface and maintains professional designations as a Canadian Registered Safety Professional and a Certified Health and Safety Consultant.

Stefan Duda

VICE PRESIDENT, PROCUREMENT

Stefan Duda has been Vice President of Procurement at Mercer since 2023. He first joined the company in 2005 at the Mercer Rosenthal mill in Thuringia. Throughout his career with Mercer, Mr. Duda held various leadership positions in both Germany and Canada. Among other positions, he was Director of Procurement at Mercer Celgar, leader of the Mercer-wide health and safety program “Road to Zero”, and Mercer’s Continuous Improvement Coordinator.

Mr. Duda graduated from the University of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, with a Master’s degree in Forestry Sciences and completed a Master’s of Business in International Management (MBA) degree at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences.

Nick Milestone

VICE PRESIDENT, PROJECTS and CONSTRUCTION

Nick Milestone, appointed Vice President, Projects and Construction in 2024, leverages a background in sustainable construction and innovation across a career spanning over 38 years. With degrees including a BSc, BSc (Hons), and MSc, his expertise in the field is both deep and broad.

Nick’s leadership roles have significantly influenced the construction industry. Prior to his current position , Nick held esteemed positions as Chairman of the Timber Research and Development Association UK (TRADA) and Vice Chair of Timber Development UK, shaping the future of timber construction.

His extensive experience includes pivotal roles at Sigmat UK Ltd as a main board Director, and earlier, as Senior Vice President of the US Softwood Lumber Board. At Katerra Inc, North America, he served as Director for Mass Timber and Hybrid Solutions, and at the Wm Hare Group, he was the Director for Off-Site and Innovation, where he advanced building systems in mass timber, structural steel, and light gauge steel structures.

Nick’s tenure at B & K Structures Ltd, from 2002 to 2017, as Managing Director, marked a period of significant achievement, where he led the UK’s largest structural steel and mass timber design and construction business to deliver over 350 landmark projects. His work in Singapore for the Tiong Seng Construction Group in 2017 further broadened his international experience.

A key contributor to industry standards, Nick led the development of the UK’s first ‘National Structural Timber Specification’ and chaired the committee for the Mass Engineered Timber Handbook for Singapore. These contributions have been pivotal in advancing the use of timber in construction.

Starting in the construction industry in 1986 as a trainee quantity surveyor, Nick has exemplified a trajectory of continuous growth and leadership, culminating in his current role where he continues to drive innovation and sustainability in construction practices.