中文Colombier Group, a fibre-based packaging materials and paper company, has promoted José Maria Camacho to the role of CEO, tasking him with accelerating the company’s expansion in sustainable mono-material packaging and doubling turnover within two years.
A Leader with Deep Industry Roots
Camacho brings three decades of industry experience to the position. His career began 30 years ago as a management trainee at Myllykoski Paper, and he most recently served as chief finance and operations officer at Colombier since joining the company in early 2025. Prior to that, he was CEO of Walstead Group’s EU businesses, one of Europe’s largest commercial printing operations.
He took over from outgoing CEO Juha Viitala on 15 June 2026. Colombier chairman Henrik Bjornberg thanked Viitala for his contribution, noting that he had been instrumental in growing the group and entering new business areas. Viitala has left to pursue fresh challenges.
The Sustainable Packaging Opportunity
Colombier’s most compelling growth opportunity lies in its EcoBarrier product line. The company offers Colombier EcoBarrier Flex, a fibre-based mono-material that can replace plastic and aluminium in flexible packaging. The material is 100% recyclable in standard paper recycling waste streams — a significant advantage in a market where recycling infrastructure for multi-material flexible packaging remains limited.
Camacho told Printweek that most of Colombier’s current turnover of nearly EUR40 million comes from its conversion and trading services, but he expects significant growth in mono-materials. “With our Colombier EcoBarrier manufacturing division we are targeting at doubling this figure in the next two years as that division by itself has the capacity to turn over ca. EUR80 million with its current footprint,” he said.
Market Dynamics
The target reflects broader market dynamics. Regulatory pressure on plastic packaging is intensifying globally, with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) setting ambitious targets for recyclability and recycled content. Brand owners are actively seeking alternatives to multi-material flexible packaging — the pouches, sachets, and wrappers that dominate snack food, personal care, and household product categories — because these materials are notoriously difficult to recycle.
Fibre-based mono-materials like EcoBarrier Flex offer a compelling alternative. They leverage existing paper recycling infrastructure, meet consumer expectations for sustainable packaging, and can be produced using established converting technologies. The challenge has been achieving the barrier properties — moisture, oxygen, grease resistance — that plastic and aluminium laminates provide. Companies that have solved this technical challenge, as Colombier appears to have done, are well-positioned to capture significant market share.
Leadership Transition
Bjornberg expressed confidence in Camacho’s ability to transition swiftly into the new role, citing his experience at the business over the past 18 months. “It is a great vote of confidence for us at the Colombier Group that we have managed to attract a new CEO of Jose Maria’s calibre,” Bjornberg said. “He comes with extensive experience from leading several large multinational companies and divisions as CEO. With Jose Maria the Colombier Group will start on a fresh path with a new strategy.”
Camacho and Bjornberg had previously worked together in the early 2000s, adding a dimension of established professional trust to the leadership transition. Bjornberg added: “I’m personally thrilled to have him running and developing our Colombier Group.”
Global Footprint
Family-owned Colombier Group has operations in Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, and at Sittingbourne in the UK. The company employs around 60 people and offers converting services, paper and board trading, and a range of plastic-free packaging substrates. This multinational footprint positions the company to serve pan-European brand owners and converters, with production capabilities aligned to regional market requirements.
The company’s relatively small headcount — 60 employees targeting EUR80 million in mono-material turnover — suggests a highly automated, capital-efficient manufacturing model. This is characteristic of paper and board converting operations, where high-speed production lines can generate substantial revenue with relatively small operating teams.
Looking Forward
Camacho’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the sustainable packaging industry. The combination of regulatory mandates, brand owner commitments, consumer expectations, and technological advances in fibre-based barrier materials is creating a market opportunity that is both large and time-sensitive. Companies that can scale production quickly, maintain quality consistency, and navigate the complex regulatory landscape will emerge as market leaders.
Colombier’s strategy — leveraging existing converting and trading revenue to fund mono-material expansion, led by an experienced CEO with a fresh strategic mandate — represents a pragmatic approach to capturing this opportunity. The next two years will reveal whether the company can execute on its ambitious growth targets and establish EcoBarrier as a leading brand in sustainable flexible packaging.
The competitive landscape for fibre-based barrier materials is intensifying. Several major packaging companies, including Stora Enso, Mondi, and Ahlstrom, are investing in similar technologies, and the race to achieve commercial-scale production of fibre-based flexible packaging with performance parity to plastic laminates is attracting significant capital. Colombier’s advantage lies in its existing production footprint and the EcoBarrier brand, but maintaining a technology lead will require sustained investment in R&D and process optimisation.
Camacho’s experience at Walstead, where he managed large-scale printing operations across multiple European countries, provides relevant preparation for the operational challenges of scaling Colombier’s manufacturing. The transition from commercial printing to packaging materials may seem significant, but the underlying capabilities — substrate handling, quality control, high-speed production — are transferable. The next 24 months will be a critical execution period.
Source: Printweek (printweek.com), 6 July 2026
