Valmet has appointed Max Luedtke as executive vice-president of its Pulp, Energy and Circularity business area, bringing more than 20 years of international process-industry leadership experience to the Finnish technology company.

Luedtke will join Valmet’s executive leadership team and assume the position on September 1, 2026. He succeeds Sami Riekkola, who will remain with the company through the end of October to support the leadership transition.

The appointment brings an executive with extensive experience in automation, electrification and digital technologies into a business area serving pulp production, energy generation and increasingly circular industrial processes.

More Than 20 Years of Process Industry Experience

Before joining Valmet, Luedtke built his career at ABB, where his responsibilities included leadership positions serving process industries.

He most recently advanced to vice-president and business line manager for mining and mineral processing.

His educational background spans engineering, electricity, automation, business administration and management, providing a combination of technical and commercial experience relevant to Valmet’s industrial customer base.

Valmet President and CEO Thomas Hinnerskov highlighted Luedtke’s experience in business growth and transformation as well as automation and electrification.

“Max brings a strong track record in business growth and transformation and deep expertise in automation, electrification and digital technologies,” Hinnerskov said.

He added that Luedtke’s experience supporting improvements in customer productivity and sustainability would be valuable as Valmet develops its pulp, energy and circularity operations.

Automation and Digitalization Increasingly Important to Pulp Operations

Luedtke’s automation and electrification background comes as pulp producers continue investing in technologies designed to improve process stability, resource efficiency and operational performance.

Modern pulp mills combine large-scale mechanical and chemical processes with increasingly sophisticated measurement, control and automation systems.

Digital technologies can provide operators with greater visibility into production conditions, while process automation can support consistent operation and help mills optimize areas including energy and raw-material utilization.

This creates considerable overlap between traditional pulp technology and the automation and digital capabilities that Luedtke has worked with during his career.

Circularity Expands the Scope of Pulp Mill Technology

Valmet’s Pulp, Energy and Circularity business also reflects a broader development occurring across the forest-products industry.

Pulp mills are increasingly being considered not only as producers of market pulp but as industrial platforms capable of utilizing multiple material and energy streams.

Alongside pulp production, mills can generate renewable energy and recover or process materials associated with the pulping process.

This places greater emphasis on integrating process equipment, energy systems, automation and resource utilization across the mill.

For technology suppliers such as Valmet, the opportunity therefore extends beyond individual machines toward increasingly integrated production systems.

Leadership Transition Continues at Valmet

Luedtke’s appointment represents another change within Valmet’s executive leadership.

He will officially take responsibility for the Pulp, Energy and Circularity business area on September 1.

Outgoing EVP Sami Riekkola will remain during a two-month transition period before leaving Valmet at the end of October.

The overlap is intended to support continuity as Luedtke takes responsibility for a business serving customers across pulp production, energy and circular industrial applications.

His combination of process-industry management and automation experience gives Valmet additional expertise at a time when pulp producers are increasingly connecting production efficiency, electrification, digitalization and resource utilization within their investment strategies.

Last Updated on 21/08/2026 by Jota Machinery