Saudi paper manufacturer Middle East Paper Company (MEPCO) has announced the resignation of Sami Safran as the company’s CEO. Rob Jan Renders, a current board member took over as acting CEO.
The board members of the Jeddah-based company accepted Safran’s resignation with effect from 13 June, 2024. MEPCO cited Safran’s request for retirement as the reason for resignation. The board has however decided to appoint him as an advisor to the board of directors.
Renders holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He has a wealth of experience in the packaging industry and as a business consultant with prominent private equity firms, including 3i Netherlands, Blackstone, Carlyle, and One Equity Partners Europe. Renders also chaired the supervisory board of Walki Group Oy, a sustainable packaging and engineered materials company based in Finland.
Renders was chairman of OTOR Société Anonyme, a leading French packaging provider, from 2006 to 2010. Prior to that, he held various leadership positions at Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), a global hygiene and packaging solutions provider, from 1995 to 2005.
He served as a board member of Duropack GmbH from 2012 to 2015 and as CEO from 2013 to 2015.
