Nicholas B. Dottino is appointed as the new chairman of the management board and CEO of Graanul Invest

Graanul Invest is proud to introduce Nicholas Dottino as the new CEO of Graanul Invest group.

Industry veteran Nick Dottino has more than a three-decade-long career as an executive in the non-discretionary consumer products, paper, pulp, packaging, and point of purchase sectors in North America, Asia, and Europe and a Board Director for numerous multinational companies and charitable organizations. Most Recently, Mr. Dottino was the CEO of Cosmo Specialty Fibers Inc, a leading dissolving wood pulp (DWP) business and portfolio company of The Gores Group.

“I am thrilled to join Graanul Invest group, the world leading biomass and bioenergy producer. Woody biomass is the primary substitute for solid fossil fuels, and there is great potential in the global markets to empower the success and growth of the group,” commented Mr. Dottino. “The group has outstanding engineering competence and operational experience to support the global transition away from fossil fuels and reach new heights for a sustainable future,” added Mr. Dottino.

“I am confidently handing over the daily steering of the group to Nick, who has over 33 years of experience and significant expertise leading multi-billion dollar organizations,” said Raul Kirjanen, founder of Graanul Invest and outgoing CEO. “We have the best team of dedicated professionals to empower the continuous growth of Graanul Invest group as the global leader in wood pellet production. We believe that our leadership in the effective use of biomass as part of the circular economy has a key role in meeting the global climate targets. Our factories have tremendous operational efficiency, delivering high productivity with a low ecological footprint. With Nick leading our global ambitions, we are increasing our reach and role in transitioning to a cleaner and more  resilient energy sector,” added Kirjanen.

Brad Fierstein, Partner at Apollo Global Management, Inc. and member of the Supervisory Board of Graanul said, “We congratulate our partner Raul on achieving this important milestone in the company he founded nearly two decades ago, and we warmly welcome him to the Supervisory Board. Under Nick’s experienced leadership, we are excited to continue the international expansion of Graanul, and are confident that the company will continue to serve its global customer base as the dependable partner Graanul has proven itself to be over many years.”

Graanul Invest is the world’s leading producer of biomass and bioenergy. The group operates 12 modern wood pellet plants in the Baltics and the USA and six renewable combined heat and power plants  in Estonia and Latvia.