The Board

Juan Guillermo Castañeda was Chief Executive Officer, The Americas from 2014 until January 2022. He was previously the Vice President of Finance, Human Resources and Administration for The Americas since July 2010.  Juan Guillermo joined the company in 1984 and has held various Finance positions including Vice President of Finance in Colombia. He went on to manage the Sacks division between 2009 and 2010. Juan Guillermo was appointed as Director to Smurfit Kappa Foundation in May 2022. 

Appointed Group VP of Human Resources in 2019. Sharon joined the Company in March 2019. Prior to joining Smurfit Kappa, she worked at Kerry Group plc. in various international HR Leadership roles over a 20 year career , most recently as the Global Vice President HR. Her previous roles included Global Director of Change and Communications, EMEA Vice President HR and Asia Pacific Vice President HR. Ms. Whitehead is a Fellow and Board Member of the CIPD, the Professional Body for Human Resources and People Development, and holds a Bachelors Degree in addition to various industry qualifications.  Sharon was appointed as Director to Smurfit Kappa Foundation in May 2022. 

Appointed Group Company Secretary in June 2020. Gillian joined the Group in 2009. She held roles within the Group Finance function before her appointment as Assistant Group Secretary in 2016. Gillian is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland and holds a Certificate in Company Secretarial Law and Practice. She was appointed as Director to Smurfit Kappa Foundation in May 2022. 

Appointed Group Chief Sustainability Officer in July 2021. Garrett joined the Group in 2000 and has held a number of roles predominantly in operations, managing corrugated box plants in the UK and Ireland before taking up the position of Head of Investor Relations for the Group in 2016. Garrett holds a bachelor's degree in Commerce from University College Dublin and has recently completed his postgraduate studies with the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership.  He was appointed as Director to Smurfit Kappa Foundation in May 2022. 

Marie Barrett was appointed Finance Manager for the Smurfit Kappa Foundation in March 2022. She joined Smurfit Kappa in 2006 as Treasury Accountant before joining the Group Finance team in 2012 as Group Accountant at the Company’s Head Quarters in Dublin. She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has a B.Sc. in Business Studies and Finance from Dublin City University. Marie first began working with the Foundation in 2013, when she took on the voluntary role of Director of Smurfit Kappa Foundation. 

Appointed CEO Smurfit Kappa Spain | Portugal | Morocco in 2004. He joined Smurfit Kappa in 1991. During his 30 years in the company he has held several management positions in different countries & areas of the business,  Personal Assistant to Sir Michael WJ Smurfit, General Manager Portugal, CEO Paper & Recycling UK. Ignacio was appointed as Advisor to Smurfit Kappa Foundation in May 2022.

Manuel Alcalá is the CEO of Smurfit Kappa Brazil. Previously Manuel was a VP of Panamerican Sales (PAS) based in Miami, a VP of the Corrugated Division in Argentina, he led the Innovation, Insights and Value Selling work streams for The Americas and was a General Manager of San Felipe Paper Mill in Venezuela. He joined the Company in 1990. Manuel was appointed as Advisor to Smurfit Kappa Foundation in May 2022. 

Nicki joined Smurfit Kappa Group in 2020. Over her 20 year career, Nicki has held various management roles across strategic communications, marketing communications, media relations, and reputation management. In her current role, she is responsible for developing and implementing effective communication and engagement strategies on sustainability and ESG topics for internal and external stakeholders. Nicki has a Bachelor's Honours Degree, and a Certificate in Communicating for Influence and Impact from the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, and is a member of the European Association of Communication Directors. Nicki was appointed as Advisor to Smurfit Kappa Foundation in May 2024.