Roberts Strīpnieks, Chairman of the Board of A/s Latvijas valsts meži (LVM), has decided to step down from his position as head of the company effective 30 December this year, in order to soon take on new professional challenges in the private sector. The LVM Council will meet for an extraordinary session at the end of this year to appoint a new Chairman of the Board from among the other board members, with a competition for the position to be held at a later date. The LVM Council expresses its deep gratitude to R. Strīpnieks for his invaluable contribution to the long-term growth of the company, having built LVM into one of the leaders of the entire Latvian economy and establishing it as a significant player in the forestry sector on a European scale.

Roberts Strīpnieks has served as Chairman of the Board of LVM since the company was founded in October 1999, holding the position for more than twenty years. Under the leadership of R. Strīpniek's team, the scale of LVM's operations has grown more than tenfold – from a turnover of 24 million euros in 2000 to 349 million last year. Over the past twenty years, the company has paid 1.35 billion euros in taxes and dividends to the state.

“After twenty years at LVM, I have been considering the decision to seek a new career chapter for some time, and just now I have received an offer for a leadership position from a large private company with diversified operations and extensive future potential, which is also of significant importance to the entire Latvian economy and society.”