Xu Lianjie of Hengan International Group wins RISI's 2012 Asian CEO of the Year Award

SHANGHAI, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mr. Xu Lianjie, CEO of Hengan International Group has been selected as the Asian CEO of the Year for 2012 by RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. The award will be presented to Mr. Xu at RISI's 13th Asian Pulp & Paper Outlook Conference in Shanghai, China to be held on June 11 - 13, 2012.

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Speakers from the sector's leading companies and associations, including Ilim Group, Asia Pulp & Paper, and Arab Paper Manufacturing Co. will be represented at the RISI Conference.  Mr. Xu was chosen as the RISI Asian CEO of the Year by a group of investment analysts and portfolio managers covering the forest products industry. The analysts responded to a survey organized by RISI and the criteria for nomination included leadership, vision and strategic accomplishment, with one analyst commenting: "Tissue was the few paper grades which had good financial performance last year in China, and Hengan was playing a leading role in the industry with its branding strategy and innovation spirit."

Mr. Xu was chosen as the winner due to the company's solid financial performance in 2011 and overall leadership. "I am honored to receive this award. This is also recognition of Hengans's leadership position in the region's pulp and paper industry." 

Mr. Xu is the Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the group. He is responsible for strategic planning, human resources and the overall management of the group. Mr. Xu is one of the founding shareholders of the company. He is also a member of remuneration committee. Mr. Xu has the title of senior economist in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") and is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a deputy chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and also Political Consultative Conference in Quanzhou City. He is also the deputy chairman of Fujian Province Industry and Trade Association and the chairman of Quanzhou City Trade Association. 

RISI's Asian CEO of the Year Award was inaugurated in 2008. RISI organizes four regional CEO awards each year in Europe, Asia, Latin America and North America, which are handed out to the winners at the regional RISI conferences. In addition, the Global CEO of the Year award is presented at the PPI Awards event, which will be held in Brussels on November 12 this year.

About the RISI Asian Conference

The 13th RISI Asian Pulp & Paper Outlook Conference will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai, China on June 11 - 13, 2012. The conference will address some of the key issues in today's Asian pulp and paper market. HP, ColorLok, BTG and Kadant have signed on as official sponsors for the event. Conference programs and registration details are available online at: www.risi.com/asiaconf.  

About RISI (www.risi.com)

Owned by UBM plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, RISI is the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. The company works with clients in the pulp and paper, wood products, timber, biomass, tissue, nonwovens, printing and publishing industries to help them make better decisions.

Headquartered in Boston, MA, RISI operates additional offices throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.

About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

UBM plc is a leading global company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

About Hengan International Group

Established in 1985, Hengan International Group is a leading sanitary napkins manufacturer, maternity and baby sanitary products manufacturer and tissue maker in China. With total fixed assets of more than 12 billion RMB and 30,000 employees, Hengan has more than 40 branch companies and over 300 branch offices in China.

On December 8th, 1998, Hengan was listed on the Union Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.

The group's revenue and profit in 2011 reached HK$ 17 billion and HK$ 2.6 billion, up 26.9% and 8.6% respectively compared to 2010. The Group's tissue paper business accounted for approximately 47% of the total revenue, while sanitary napkins, disposable diapers as well as food and snacks products contributed 24%, 16% and 9% to the total revenue.

The company's tissue capacity is expected to reach 900,000 tonnes/yr in 2012 and the capacity is estimated to reach 1.2 million tones/yr by 2015.

For Press Enquiries, please contact:
Michele Costa-Bell
Marketing Specialist
RISI
4 Alfred Circle
Bedford, MA 01730 USA
Tel: +1.781.734.8984
mcosta-bell@risi.com