Executive Management

Jean-Michel Ribiéras became Sylvamo’s chairman and chief executive officer at its inception as a spinoff of International Paper. His 35-year paper and packaging career spans three continents, multiple businesses and a variety of leadership roles such as senior vice president, Industrial Packaging the Americas and most recently senior vice president, Global Papers.

Jean-Michel serves on the boards of LP Building Solutions, American Forest & Paper Association and U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum, and previously served on the Brazil Pulp & Paper Association board and American Chamber of Commerce in Sao Paulo, Copacel. He holds a bachelor’s degree in management from École Supérieure des Dirigeants d’Enterprise (France) and a Master of Marketing from University of Hartford.

Jean-Michel Ribiéras will retire from Sylvamo effective December 31, 2025.

John V. Sims became senior vice president and chief operating officer on May 1, 2025. 

John entered the paper industry in 1994 after serving as an officer in the United States Navy. During his 27-year career with International Paper, he gained extensive experience in the Printing Papers and Packaging businesses in North America and Europe, while most recently serving as senior vice president, Corporate Development. At the inception of Sylvamo as a spinoff of International Paper in 2021, John became senior vice president and chief financial officer.

John served on the Confederation of European Paper Industries Board from 2016 to 2019. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

John Sims will become chief executive officer effective January 1, 2026.

Don Devlin became senior vice president and chief financial officer on May 1, 2025.

Don came to Sylvamo from International Paper, where he joined in 1998. Throughout his career, he held numerous leadership positions of increasing responsibility across finance, strategy and general management.

In 2015, Don was named vice president, Corporate Audit, and became an officer at International Paper before becoming chief executive officer of the company’s operations in India. He went on to serve as vice president, Finance and Strategy for Industrial Packaging and most recently vice president, Transformation and Strategy Deployment.

Don has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Siena College.

Matthew Barron became senior vice president and chief administrative and legal officer on April 1, 2024.

Matthew began his career in the paper industry in 2006, after working for the law firm of Sullivan & Worcester LLP in Boston. Throughout Matthew’s legal career, he has served in positions of increasing responsibility, including general counsel for various businesses, corporate law, environmental, health and safety, information technology and intellectual property.

He was named senior vice president and general counsel at the inception of Sylvamo as a spinoff of International Paper in 2021.

Matthew serves on the board of directors of the Mid-South Food Bank and previously served on the board of ASG Worldwide (AGI-Shorewood), a business of Atlas Holdings LLC. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Fairfield University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut.

Rodrigo Davoli became senior vice president and general manager, North America on July 1, 2023. Rodrigo entered the paper and packaging industry in 1993 and with the merger of Champion International, joined International Paper in 2000. He has held a variety of leadership roles in finance, strategic planning, marketing and sales and in 2017, was named vice president, Latin America Printing Papers and president of International Paper Brazil. At the inception of Sylvamo as a spinoff of International Paper in 2021, Rodrigo became senior vice president and general manager, Latin America.

Rodrigo served on the Brazilian Pulp and Paper Association Board. He holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Unipinhal University (Brazil) and an International Executive Master of Business Administration from São Paulo University (Brazil).

Tatiana Kalman joined Sylvamo in 2023 as senior vice president and general manager, Latin America.

Before joining Sylvamo, Tatiana worked for BASF for more than 22 years. She held leadership roles of increasing responsibility across various business segments in Europe, Latin America and North America. In 2020, she became senior vice president, Performance Care Chemicals Americas and then was named managing director and senior vice president, Personal Care, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Tatiana serves on the Brazilian Pulp and Paper Association Board. She has a bachelor’s in economics from Fundacao Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP) and a master’s in economics from Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo (PUC – SP).

Shawn Lawson became senior vice president and general manager, Europe on May 1, 2025.

Shawn has over 20 years of experience in the paper and packaging industry. Before joining Sylvamo, Shawn held various leadership roles in supply chain, sales and marketing for International Paper. She served as general manager for the Kraft Bag business and regional general manager for Northern Illinois, where she was responsible for several corrugated box and sheet plants. In 2023, she became the vice president and general manager for the company’s European Packaging business.

Shawn has a bachelor’s degree in business organizational leadership from Union University.

Marcie Vargas became senior vice president and chief people officer on June 1, 2024.

Marcie joined Sylvamo in 2023 as vice president, Talent and Organizational Development, where she was responsible for culture, engagement, inclusion and diversity, learning and development, recruiting and succession planning. 

Before joining Sylvamo, Marcie served as chief human resources officer at Barr Brands International for almost 10 years. She also served as senior vice president, Human Resources at Fred’s, Inc. and U.S. vice president, Inclusion and Diversity for McDonald’s. 

Marcie has served on the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and on the boards of directors for the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement and the Hispanic Alliance for Career Advancement. Marcie has a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations from Loyola University of Chicago.

Patrick Wilczynski became Sylvamo’s senior vice president, Operational Excellence, at its inception as a spinoff of International Paper. Patrick joined International Paper in 1992 and held a variety of leadership roles. In 2012, he was named vice president, Manufacturing, for Europe, Middle East and Africa. He later served as vice president, Global Manufacturing Safety, where he helped establish the company’s safety leading indicators program. Patrick’s most recent role was vice president, Capital Effectiveness.

Patrick served on the board of the American Forest and Paper Association and has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering technology from Pennsylvania State University.