Anne Giardini Joins Sustainable Forestry Initiative Board of Directors

OTTAWA, Feb. 10, 2014 /CNW/ - Business executive, author and community leader Anne Giardini has been elected to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Inc. (SFI®) Board of Directors as a member of the Economic Sector.

"Anne Giardini is not only a respected leader in the forest industry but a published author, educator and philanthropist," SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow said. "Her insights and perspective will enhance our Board and aid SFI's efforts to secure a healthy future for our forests. We look forward to welcoming her to her first Board meeting this week."

"I have the greatest respect for the work SFI does to build future forests," Giardini said "I look forward to working with the other members of the board, all of them committed to research, conservation, communities, training and education to sustain a wide range of forest values."

Currently President of Weyerhaeuser Company Limited in Canada, Giardini has been with the company for 20 years. She is a past or present board member of several organizations, including the Board of Governors for Simon Fraser University, the Vancouver Board of Trade, UniverCity and the Forest Products Association of Canada. She has also published two novels and a variety of articles and papers. She was named BC Queen's Counsel in 2010.

In 2013, she was honoured with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her efforts to raise funds for Plan Canada's international "Because I'm a Girl" campaign. She was also named one of Canada's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers by Canadian Lawyer Magazine in 2011.

SFI Inc.'s 18-member board represents environmental, social and economic sectors equally to meet the many needs of forests and communities. The board members include representatives of public and private landowners, manufacturers of forest products, conservation groups, academia, aboriginal interests, community organizations and government officials.

About Sustainable Forestry Initiative
SFI Inc. is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program. Across the United States and Canada, more than 100 million hectares are certified to the SFI forest management standard. In addition, the SFI program's unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands. SFI chain-of-custody (COC) certification tracks the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing and post-consumer recycled content. SFI on-product labels identify both certified sourcing and COC claims to help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. Learn more at www.sfiprogram.org and www.sfiprogram.org/Buy-SFI.

SOURCE: Sustainable Forestry Initiative

Isabelle Des Chênes, Communications, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, 613-421-9230, [email protected]

http://www.sfiprogram.org