MR Tony Smurfit is to become chief executive of Smurfit France, a business with annual sales of about £1.2 billion.
The appointment of the son of group chairman, Dr Michael Smurfit, to head up the group's operations in France will take effect on November 1st.
Mr Smurfit has been deputy chief executive of Smurfit France since September 1995. He is a director of the group.
Four of the 15 directors of the Jefferson Smurfit group are members of the Smurfit family and all are executive directors - Dr Michael Smurfit, his brothers Alan and Dermot and his son Tony.
Speaking from Paris yesterday, Mr Smurfit said he will work hard to make a success of the French operation. "I believe in what we are doing and I will continue to do my best."
Mr Smurfit (32) takes over from Mr Pat Barrett, who has been acting chief executive of Smurfit France since the group's £684 million takeover of Cellulose du Pin in August 1994. Mr Barrett is chairman in Smurfit France and chief operations officer of Smurfit Continental Europe.
Mr Barrett yesterday welcomed Mr Smurfit's appointment. The acquisition of Cellulose increased Smurfit's business in France by about nine times.
"We absorbed the business into our country structure and then we decided to spend time to find the right person to run the business", he explained. Mr Barrett became acting chief executive.
"In 1995 Tony became my deputy. He is now stepping up after serving his apprenticeship."
After training in Ireland the US and Japan, Mr Smurfit became chief executive of Swain's Packaging in Britain before moving to the US where he became personal assistant to the president of Jefferson Smurfit Corporation, Mr James Malloy.
In 1992 he became operations director of the group's print and carton division. He was promoted to France as deputy chief executive of Smurfit Socar and in September 1995 became deputy chief executive of Smurfit France.
Smurfit Europe accounts for 40 to 45 per cent of the group's managed sales and Smurfit France accounts for about 40 to 45 per cent of Smurfit Europe's managed sales.
Smurfit France, therefore, accounts for 15 to 20 per cent of group managed sales.
Smurfit group president and chief of operations, Mr Paddy Wright, said the new appointment reflected the increased scale of the group's businesses in France.
