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2026 Global Tissue Paper Summit at NC State

Speakers

Meet our speakers: A unique mix of brilliant minds from the tissue paper world. From researchers setting the pace at top universities to experts from the industry’s leading companies. They will guide you through the latest trends, cutting-edge technologies, and the key points that are transforming the industry.

Carlos Reinoso

Keynote Speaker

Chairman and Director General of the major association for European tissue companies – European Tissue Symposium (ETS), with over 25 years of top-management experience leading industrial associations in the pulp, paper, and tissue sectors. Previously Director General of ASPAPEL for 22 years and Steering Committee Member at the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI).

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Fabio Vitali

Fabio, the mastermind behind the growth of premium private label in the U.S., is Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Sofidel America Corp. (USA), the North American arm of the world’s fifth-largest tissue paper manufacturer, since 2019. With over 17 years at Sofidel, he led the launch of the Papernet brand in North America and serves on the Board of Directors of ISSA as a Manufacturer Director, frequently speaking on sustainability and commercial excellence.

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Jessica Carette

R&D Project Director at Cascades Tissue Group, leading innovation in tissue paper product development. She has 18 years of experience in applied science, specializing in tissue softness and haptic evaluation. Jessica holds a chemistry degree from McGill University and an MBA from HEC Montréal.

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Dr. Rob Handfield

A world expert in Supply Chain management, Rob is the Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain at North Carolina State University (USA) and Executive Director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative, specializing in strategic sourcing, supply market intelligence, and supplier development. Editor-in-Chief of the Logistics journal, with 150+ publications and a dozen books.

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Dr. Joana Curto

Hygiene Tissue Paper Professor at the University of Beira Interior (Portugal) and researcher at FibEnTech-UBI. She leads industry-collaborative research within the InPacTus program, developing computational tools to optimize eucalyptus raw materials for tissue paper applications in collaboration with The Navigator Company.

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Jake Hyland

Vice President for the Fiber & Recycling Capital Equipment Division (North America) at Andritz (USA) since 2025, leading sales and business development for capital equipment across the pulp, paper, and tissue industries. With over 9 years at Andritz, he previously served as North American Director of Sales and as Product Manager for the Competitive Equipment line.

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Dr. Camilla Abbati

Senior Analyst and Product Manager for FisherSolve at ResourceWise (USA), specializing in techno-economic assessment, sustainability, and investment analysis for pulp and paper mills and biobased technologies globally. With over 15 years of experience, she previously served as Process Engineering Expert for new investments at Rhodia / Solvay Group.

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Dr. Francides Gomes

Full Professor at the University of São Paulo (Brazil), specializing in pulp and paper technology, biorefinery, pulping, bleaching, and wood quality. With over 25 years of academic and industrial experience, including a previous role at Votorantim Celulose e Papel (now Suzano) and postdoctoral programs at Georgia Tech and NC State, he has authored more than 55 publications and filed seven patents.

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Dr. Luana Dessbesell

Professor of Sustainable Bioproducts Innovation at Aalto University (Finland), specializing in sustainability assessments, techno-economic analysis, and the commercialization of forest-based innovations. She previously served as Program Manager at the UBC BioProducts Institute (Canada) and Project Manager at EnVertis Inc., focusing on the forest sector’s transition to a circular bioeconomy.

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Joao Leite de Souza

Commercial and Strategic Alliances Director at CITTEC Forest (Americas) and President of João Leite Forestry Consulting (USA), with over 45 years of experience in forestry. Previously Vice President of Forestry Operations at Papeles Venezolanos (Grand Bay Group) for nearly 32 years. Forest Engineer from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro with a master’s in environmental engineering.

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Jamie LeLiever

Founder and CEO of National Bamboo LLC. He leads efforts to commercialize timber bamboo as a sustainable non-wood fiber for the tissue paper industry, developing large-scale bamboo cultivation systems across the Southeastern United States to support domestic fiber supply and regenerative agriculture.

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Dr. Frank P. Meltzer

Director of Technical Sales and Marketing at Mercer International (Germany), specializing in pulp sales and technical marketing. With over 30 years of industry experience, he held senior roles at Canfor and Munksjö and spent nearly 18 years at Voith Paper in tissue business development.

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Dr. Marcelo Moreira da Costa

Professor and researcher at the Laboratory of Pulp and Paper at the Federal University of Viçosa (Brazil), specializing in pulp and paper technology, R&D, and technology management. With experience at Kemira, Suzano, Veracel, and Cenibra, his expertise includes kraft pulping, bleaching, and eucalyptus fiber quality.

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Vince Roy

Sales Director at Andritz (USA), specializing in tissue paper machinery and capital equipment, with 18 years of experience in industrial B2B sales across North America. Previously served as Tissue Mill Manager in the United States and as Technical Sales Representative and Market Development Manager at Buckman, focused on tissue paper creping development in Canada and the USA.

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Dr. Ronalds Gonzalez

Associate Professor at North Carolina State University and co-director of the SAFI Consortium. He is a global expert in conventional and alternative fibers for consumer products, with a focus on hygiene materials and sustainable fiber technologies.

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Dr. Hasan Jameel

Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University and a leading expert in pulping and bleaching processes. Through his widely recognized work on wood and non-wood feedstocks, he has advanced conversion technologies and fiber utilization in the tissue paper industry.

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Dr. Qingshi Tu

Professor at the University of British Columbia (Canada) and Principal Investigator of the Sustainable Bioeconomy Research Group, specializing in life cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis, and decarbonization strategies for bioeconomy applications. He also serves as an Amazon Scholar and previously worked at Yale University and Quantis International.

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Alfredo Sarli

Applications Specialist within the Air Systems group at Valmet since 2018, currently focused on tissue applications for dryer hood air systems and dry end dust control. With over 35 years of experience in the paper industry, he is Chair of the TAPPI Tissue Division and co-founder of the TAPPI Dust Mitigation Committee.

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Dr. Tiago de Assis

Research Associate at Georgia-Pacific LLC (USA) since 2021, specializing in fiber chemistry and tissue paper creping chemistry R&D, with 18 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, and research. He previously served as a Research Scientist at Kemira and holds a PhD in Cellulosic Fibers for Tissue Paper Products.

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Dr. Naycari Forfora

Tissue Paper Analyst at The LCA Center (Netherlands) and a fiber sustainability specialist focused on tissue paper applications, life cycle assessment, and carbon accounting. Her work examines the environmental impacts of fiber sourcing, pulp production, and tissue paper manufacturing. She holds a PhD in Forest Biomaterials.

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Alexis Métais

Pulp & Paper Key Account Manager at Xylem (USA) since 2015, leading the global ozone business for pulp and paper mills with applications in pulp bleaching and chemical-free water treatment. With over 18 years at Xylem, he as well supports R&D projects from the lab to pilot scales and the industry with numerous technical publications since 2008.

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Dr. Medwick Byrd Jr

Professor at North Carolina State University specializing in mechanical, chemical, and non-wood pulping and bleaching. With more than 30 years of experience, his research advances the use of agricultural fibers and biomass as sustainable feedstocks for hygiene and pulp and paper applications.

Dr. Richard Venditti

Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University and a leading expert in recycling and sustainable bioproducts.  His research focuses on renewable polymers, tissue paper products, and life cycle assessment to advance fiber utilization and environmental performance in the pulp and paper industry.

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Dr. Joel Pawlak

Professor at North Carolina State University and a recognized expert in paper physics and fibrous materials engineering. His research advances understanding of fiber structures that control softness, absorbency, and performance in tissue paper products and other fiber-based materials.

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Dr. Richard Phillips

Former Senior VP of Technology and Manufacturing at International Paper, where he led engineering and research operations during a 34-year career with the company. He is Adjunct Professor at North Carolina State University and an active consultant on supply chains, technoeconomics, and manufacturing strategy in the tissue paper industry.

Dr. Karen Jung

Chief Purchasing Officer at Jung Papier GmbH (Germany), also leading Marketing and Product Management, specializing in strategic purchasing and brand strategy within the tissue paper industry. She previously served as Chief Purchasing Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at Hakle GmbH, one of Germany’s leading tissue paper brands.

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Dr. Ronald Marquez

The tissue softness “Guru”. Dr. Marquez is a Professor at the University of Girona (Spain), specializing in pulp and paper science and lignocellulosic materials. His research advances interfacial science, rheology, and bio-based material formulations that improve fiber processing and performance of tissue paper and fiber-based products.

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Frank Riccio

Chairman and CEO of The Danforth Group, LLC (USA), with over 44 years of leadership experience in the tissue paper industry, specializing in manufacturing, process engineering, and product development. He spent over 12 years in International Marketing at Kimberly-Clark Corporation and also served as CEO of MH Technologies, LLC.

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Lee Reisinger

CEO of ReiTech Incorporated. With more than 50 years of experience in the tissue paper industry, he has led innovation in tissue paper and paper towel manufacturing through process development, technology commercialization, and production system design, including through-air-drying systems.

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Dr. Ramon E. Vera

Lead Process Engineer at Kimberly-Clark USA. His work focuses on developing non-wood pulping technologies, alternative fiber solutions, and processes to convert cellulosic waste into value-added chemicals, with additional expertise in emulsions, surfactant systems, and colloidal technologies.

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Dr. Lokendra Pal

Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University with more than 23 years of global experience in bio-based materials and manufacturing innovation. His work focuses on developing sustainable fiber technologies and smart manufacturing systems for tissue paper and fiber-based products.

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Dick Reese

Paper industry engineering and technology consultant, specializing in papermaking consulting, paper machine energy conservation, and process optimization, with energy evaluations completed on over 250 paper machines across North America. A TAPPI Fellow and recipient of the Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award, he was inducted into the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in 2021.