John Baird, chairman of the Canfor Corporation board of directors, has announced that Don Kayne, the company’s president and CEO, plans to retire at the end of the year.

Kayne has been with the company for 46 years and has held the position of president and CEO since 2011.

Under his leadership, the company has grown and transformed from its British Columbia roots into a global entity with operations in Alberta, the US and Sweden.

He has been a constant champion for the forest products sector, serving in a variety of industry roles including chair of the Forest Products Association of Canada, the BC Council of Forest Industries and the Bi-national Softwood Lumber Board.

Concurrent with the announcement of Kayne’s retirement, Canfor is also announcing the appointment of Susan Yurkovich as the Company’s next CEO.

Currently serving as Canfor’s senior vice-president of Global Business Development, Yurkovich brings three decades of experience working in the natural resources sector to the role, 12 of those years with Canfor.

She has served in executive roles in both forestry and energy, including as president and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries and executive vice-president at BC Hydro.

Yurkovich’s appointment as CEO will take effect 1 Jan 2025. Kayne will continue in an advisory capacity through 2025.