BOSTON, August 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --

RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry, today announced that Domtar President and Chief Executive Officer, John D. Williams, has been selected as this year's RISI North American CEO of the Year for the forest products industry.

    
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Mr. Williams commented on his nomination, "While I am flattered that these efforts and successes have been attributed to me, the fact is this was a TEAM effort. It would not have been possible without my leadership team and the 9,000 men and women who did their part day in and day out." He continued, "Our sustained efforts helped us emerge remarkably well after a year of unprecedented events. Stronger from the experience, we can build on this and are ready to take on the future to create sustainable stockholder value."

Each year, RISI surveys investment analysts and portfolio managers to make nominations for the award based on such criteria as leadership, vision and company performance. In nominating Williams for the award, one analyst said, "John has successfully cut debt, managed to win tax credits in both the US and Canada, and repositioned assets from 'declining' uncoated markets to 'growing' markets such as fluff pulp and energy. Most importantly, he is rewarding patient investors with re-establishing the dividend and repurchasing shares."

The 2010 award will be presented to Mr. Williams on October 7th at RISI's 25th North American Forest Products Conference in Boston, MA. He will also deliver the keynote address and participate in the CEO/Executive Panel at the event. He joins other industry leaders on the program including Harris DeLoach, Chairman, President and CEO, Sonoco Products; Chip Dillon, Paper and Packaging Analyst, Credit Suisse; Donna Harman, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Forest & Paper Association; Peter Nowack, Founder, Nowack-Beer Consulting; Jim Hanna, Director, Environmental Impact, Starbucks; and many more.

Mr. Williams has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Domtar Corporation since joining the company in January of 2009. He is also a member of the Board of Directors. For more than 20 years, Williams has been in the packaging industry and related businesses in a variety of senior management and operational roles. He was European Managing Director for Sweetheart International from 1988-1992; CEO of Polarcup, a division of Huhtamaki, from 1992-1995; and Sector Director of Specialty Food Packaging for Rexam PLC, from 1996-2000. Beginning in 2000, Williams was Regional Managing Director for the UK and Ireland for SCA Packaging before serving as president of SCA Packaging Europe from 2005 to December 2008. Mr. Williams is a graduate of King's College, London University.

For more information on RISI's 25th North American Forest Products Conference, visit http://www.risi.com/naconf

About RISI

RISI is the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. The company works with clients in the pulp and paper, wood products, timber, biomass, tissue, nonwovens, printing and publishing industries to help them make better decisions.

Headquartered in Boston (Bedford), Massachusetts, RISI operates offices in Brussels, Belgium; Atlanta, Georgia; San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Shanghai, China; Singapore; Helsinki, Finland; and Charlottesville, Virginia. More information can be found at http://www.risi.com.

About Domtar

Domtar Corporation (NYSE/TSX: UFS) is the largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity, and is also a manufacturer of papergrade, fluff and specialty pulp.

The Company designs, manufactures, markets and distributes a wide range of business, commercial printing and publishing as well as converting and specialty papers including recognized brands such as Cougar(R), Lynx(R) Opaque Ultra, Husky(R) Opaque Offset, First Choice(R) and Domtar EarthChoice(R) Office Paper, part of a family of environmentally and socially responsible papers.

Domtar owns and operates Domtar Distribution Group, an extensive network of strategically located paper distribution facilities. The Company employs over 9,000 people. To learn more, visit http://www.domtar.com.

    
    Contact:
    Jennifer Freitas
    Director of Events
    RISI
    4 Alfred Circle
    Bedford, MA 01730 USA
    Tel: +1-781-734-8949
    jfreitas@risi.com