The appointment of Irial Finan follows a comprehensive selection process led by the Group’s Senior Independent Director, Roberto Newell. 

Liam O’Mahony joined the Board of SKG upon the Group being admitted to trading on Euronext Dublin and the London Stock Exchange in March 2007. He has served as Chair of the Group since his appointment 10 years ago in December 2008. 

Irial Finan joined the Board of SKG in February 2012. He has been Chair of the Remuneration Committee since 2015 and a member of the Audit Committee since his appointment. He was Executive Vice President of The Coca-Cola Company and President of the Bottling Investments Group from 2004 until he stepped down from the role in December 2017 and retired in March 2018. He originally joined the Coca-Cola system in 1981. He currently serves on the Boards of Coca-Cola European Partners plc and Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Holdings Inc. 

Liam O’Mahony, Chair, commented: “It has been a privilege to Chair the Board of Smurfit Kappa Group. The last 10 years have been a transformative time for the business and I have been lucky to work alongside a group of outstanding professionals, both on the Board and throughout the business. It is an exciting time for the Group and I am delighted to hand over to Irial Finan, who has a unique breadth and depth of expertise to lead the Smurfit Kappa Board in the period ahead.” 

Tony Smurfit, Group CEO, added: “On behalf of the management team I want to sincerely thank Liam for his outstanding contribution to the Board and the Group over the past 10 years. He has fully dedicated himself to the role of Chair and has overseen the significant development of the Group over the period. His leadership and guidance has been invaluable and he leaves the Group in a position of strength and with exciting prospects in the short, medium and long term. I would also like to welcome our new Chair, Irial Finan. We look forward to working with him as we continue to build on our position as a global leader in our sector.” 

Irial Finan, Chair Designate, concluded: "I am honoured to accept the trust the Board has placed in me and I am committed to building on Liam’s outstanding contribution. I have been very impressed with the vision and culture of the Group since joining the Board and I look forward to the future development of one of Irelands’ preeminent companies.”