ATLANTA - Arauco North America has announced changes in the organization. Cristian Infante, Arauco corporate president & COO announced that Kelly Shotbolt has accepted a new role as the Arauco North America Non­-Executive Chairman of the Board, effective Aug. 1. Shotbolt has been the president of the panel producing giant's North American subsidiary since 2012.

Pablo Franzini, who currently serves as Arauco's International Vice President for Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, will succeed Shotbolt as president.

Kelly Shotbolt

In thanking Shotbolt for his contributions to Arauco, Infante noted, "Kelly's contributions to the panel industry across North America over the past 40 years have been outstanding. His leadership was instrumental in developing Flakeboard into a very successful enterprise, and continued this momentum following the Arauco acquisition in 2012. His industry knowledge, customer network and interface, and strong leadership transformed the North American business to that of an industry leader."

Most recently, Shotbolt oversaw the opening of Arauco's $450 million, 820,000-square-foot particleboard and lamination facility in Grayling, Michigan, the nation's first greenfield composite panel mill in nearly 20 years, and Arauco’s eleventh manufacturing site in North America. Shotbolt has also been active in the Composite Panel Association, including roles as past board chairman of the organization twice, and was a recipient of the Brock R. Landry Industry Leadership Award for outstanding contribution and leadership to the composite panel industry.

In recognition of his many achievements in the industry and at his company, Shotbolt was named a Wood Industry Market Leader in 2017.

Pablo Franzini

Effective Aug. 1, Franzini will take over as president of Arauco North America, and be responsible for the operations in Canada, the United States and Mexico. In addition to serving as Arauco's International Vice President for Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, he brings 19 years of experience and industry knowledge, having held leadership positions in the financial, logistics and commercial areas of the company.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Arauco North America is a subsidiary of Arauco.  Based in Santiago, Chile, Arauco is a global producer of wood products including composite panels, laminates, premium plywood, millwork, lumber, and FSC-certified wood pulp.