Fibre-based specialty materials provider Ahlstrom has appointed Mary Puddepha as its new chief people officer and a member of its executive management team as of this month.
Puddepha, who is relocating from the US to be based in the Netherlands, will succeed Tarja Takko, executive vice president of people and culture, who is leaving to pursue new opportunities. In her new role, she will lead Ahlstrom’s cultural transformation to help it achieve its growth ambitions and vision.
With a strong track record in leading business focused people strategies and teams for multinational organisations, Puddepha joins from Syngenta, where she has worked since 2016 as head of HR, Global Seeds. Prior to this, she has held HR positions at SAB Miller, PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM Global Business Services.
Puddepha said: “I’m delighted to join Ahlstrom and for the opportunity to lead the development of its people and culture strategy and continue the cultural transformation journey to enable its sustainable growth agenda. Success is all about people and how we work together. I’m looking forward to joining a business with a strong and inspiring purpose and with the possibility to contribute to building a more sustainable world with solutions that purify and protect.”
Helen Mets, president and chief executive officer of Ahlstrom, added: “I’m confident that [Puddepha’s] outstanding experience in leading business focused people agendas and helping organisations and their employees thrive will help us greatly in enabling our sustainable growth.”