Sylvamo said Chairman and Chief Executive Jean-Michel Ribiéras will retire on Dec. 31. John Sims, currently senior vice president and chief financial officer, has been named chief operating officer, effective May 1, and will succeed Ribiéras as CEO on Jan. 1, 2026.
As COO, Sims will oversee Sylvamo’s commercial and operational functions. Ribiéras will continue leading corporate functions through the end of the year to support the transition.
Don Devlin will become senior vice president and CFO, also effective May 1. Devlin joins from International Paper, where he most recently served as vice president of transformation and strategy deployment.
Ribiéras became Sylvamo’s first CEO and chairman in 2021, when the company spun off from International Paper. His career in the paper and packaging sector spans more than 35 years across three continents. He serves on the boards of LP Building Solutions, the American Forest & Paper Association and the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum. He previously served on the board of the Brazil Pulp & Paper Association. Ribiéras holds a bachelor’s degree in management from École Supérieure des Dirigeants d’Entreprise in France and a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Hartford.
Sims has served as Sylvamo’s CFO since its founding. He joined International Paper in 1994 after serving as a U.S. Navy officer. Over nearly three decades, he held leadership roles including vice president and general manager for North American Papers, senior vice president and president for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia, and head of corporate development. He served on the board of the Confederation of European Paper Industries from 2016 to 2019. Sims holds a mechanical engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Devlin joined International Paper in 1998 and held roles in finance and operations across North America, Europe and India. He served as president of International Paper India, finance director for European Papers, and vice president of finance and strategy for North American Industrial Packaging. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Siena College.
Sylvamo, a global paper producer with mills in Europe, Latin America and North America, reported $3.8 billion in net sales in 2024.
