Born and raised in Belgium , Goffard went on to study in Brussels and New York , after which he was headhunted by a variety of businesses across multiple roles . His first experience of Smurfit Kappa was with Smurfit Stone in Chicago , which was created from a merger between assets that the business had in the US and Stone Corporation . Goffard was put in charge of the integration programme .

A year into the role , he moved to Germany to become CEO of Smurfit Stone ’ s German subsidiary , which eventually morphed into Smurfit Kappa in 2005 . After 11 years , Goffard “ got the itch ” ( in his own words ) and left the business , but rejoined in 2016 to run the Mexican operations before moving once more to Amsterdam for his current role . It ’ s been a fascinating working life for Goffard , who is always keen to enjoy new experiences . “ No matter what role or situation you ’ re in , you can always find new things to do and learn for yourself ,” he says . “ Even if you stay in a role for a long time , I think that ’ s possible . I do like to experience new challenges every now and then and , within Smurfit Kappa , I certainly have been able to do that . The role is very exciting .”

A large part of what makes Smurfit Kappa such an attractive employer is its dedication to innovation . Back

10 June 2018