Following the decision of Filip De Jaeger to leave CEI-Bois by end of this year the Board of CEI-Bois has appointed Mr Philip Buisseret as new secretary general of CEI-Bois as from 1st January 2013.

Mr Buisseret (50), of Belgian nationality and lawyer by education, joins CEI-Bois from the steel packaging organization APEAL where he is holding the position of managing director. He has a long career in representing and managing industry associations in Brussels, both at national and European level in the services and beverage sector.

Philip Buisseret is very much committed to take on the role of Secretary General of CEI-Bois and support the woodworking Industry in addressing the European opportunities and challenges. “When I heard of this position in the woodworking industry, I did not hesitate for a minute to apply for the job,” says Buisseret. “Wood’s a winner. It’s a warm, natural and noble material that offers many possibilities for many applications from packaging to construction and from joinery to decorative products. Wood also has an exceptional environmental profile, which makes it a more sustainable and attractive alternative for other materials. Finally, when managed sustainably, wood offers a solution for global warming and GHG pollution. It will be most satisfying to convey these positive messages to the European policy makers and markets.”

CEI-Bois Chairman Matti Mikkola stated to be very satisfied with the transparent recruitment process and the overall result. “The whole board of CEI-Bois was involved in the selection process and we were able to select the new Secretary General from a very large and representative group of highly qualified candidates. With Mr Buisseret, CEI-Bois was able to hire the services of a professional lobbyist who will guarantee continuation in the work of the association and strengthen the position of wood products at European level”.

In order to guarantee a smooth and efficient transition of the duties Philip Buisseret will start in the CEI-Bois office 1st December 2012 and work in parallel with Filip De Jaeger during the month of December.

For more information, please contact:

Matti Mikkola, Chairman (tel. +358 40 829 4026) or Filip De Jaeger (+32 486898184)