Head of Sales, Americas - Tape

About Us

Ahlstrom is a global leader in combining fibers into sustainable specialty materials. Our purpose is to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to be the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company for all our stakeholders. Our Filtration and Life Sciences, Food and Consumer Packaging, and Protective Materials segments, along with the Performance Materials Cluster, address global trends with safe and sustainable solutions. Our net sales in 2025 amounted to EUR 2.9 billion and we employ some 7,000 people.

About the Role

The Head of Sales leads a sales team in the business unit by executing the sales plan while overcoming technical and commercial challenges to grow faster than the market. This individual manages the sales area accounts, the team, and budget, oversees sales and customer relationships, and participates in commercial launches of product improvements, new products, and brands.

We are seeking a Head of Sales who can deliver commercial results but also elevate the overall commercial organization through data-driven decision making, strategic customer leadership, operational discipline, talent development, and strong business acumen. The successful candidate should operate as a key member of the BU leadership.

Responsibilities

• Data-driven decision maker – Able to identify the right KPIs, translate data into insights, and support business decisions with fact-based analysis (e.g., pricing, profitability, volume-growth trade-offs).
• Strong communicator and influencer – Capable of building credibility with customers while clearly communicating priorities, insights, and recommendations internally.
• Driver of commercial excellence and execution – Brings structure, discipline, and accountability; ensures adoption of key processes and tools (CRM, IBP, account planning, forecasting) and drives rigorous follow-up on actions and commitments.
• High ownership mindset – Demonstrates accountability, urgency, and willingness to go the extra mile to deliver results and solve problems proactively.
• Strategic commercial leader – Moves beyond transactional account management to build strategic customer partnerships, develop robust key account plans, and align customer actions with the BU strategy.
• Talent developer and coach – Raises the capability of the sales organization through coaching, negotiation excellence, best-practice sharing, and development of a strong commercial excellence culture while setting clear expectations, holding individuals accountable, and making timely decisions when performance does not meet required standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Paper Science/Paper Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or Business required.
• Minimum of 10 years experience in technical and business management leadership roles with proven success.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Values

Do your values align with ours? Accountability, Growth mindset, One team, Care, and a fair and inclusive work environment for everyone, everywhere! We strive to meet the highest standards of corporate citizenship by protecting the health and safety of our team, safeguarding the environment, and creating a long-lasting, positive impact on the communities where we do business.

We aim to attract, retain, and energize passionate people, like you, by investing in your professional development and providing opportunities for personal growth.