In a surprising move, Gary Masse, the CEO of US packaging giant Coveris (Chicago, Illinois / USA; www.coveris.com), stepped down from his position on 24 January. In a press release, the company said Masse had “decided the time is right to hand over Coveris to a new leader who can drive the next phase of growth.” While the company’s board of directors conducts a search for a suitable candidate to fill the post, Coveris will be managed by Dave Mezzanote, who has served as its chairman since 2014.

The departure comes very sudden, especially considering that Masse recently spoke to news outlets about the future of the company, which posted a net loss of almost USD 60m in 2015 (see Plasteurope.com of 21.04.2016).