Smurfit Kappa Group plc (“SKG” or the “Group”) is pleased to announce that Gary McGann, Group Chief Executive Officer, has been named as RISI’s 2014 European CEO of the Year. RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry, will present the award at their European Pulp & Paper Conference which will take place in Prague, 10-12 March 2014.

RISI’s European CEO of the Year is nominated by a group of investment analysts and portfolio managers covering the European and global pulp and paper industry. This follows Smurfit Kappa’s 2013 Institutional Investor Magazine Award for Best CEO in the Sector.

Amongst the reasons cited by RISI for the award were “Last year Smurfit Kappa Group delivered as a business on a number of bases including improved profitability, the successful integration of acquisitions and the delivery of significant value for shareholders.”

About Smurfit Kappa

Smurfit Kappa is one of the leading producers of paper-based packaging in the world, with around 41,000 employees in approximately 350 production sites across 32 countries and with sales revenue of €7.3 billion in 2012.

Innovation, service and pro-activity towards customers, using sustainable resources, is our primary focus. This focus is enhanced through us being an integrated producer, with our packaging plants sourcing the major part of their raw materials from our own paper mills. We are the European leader in paper-based packaging, operating in 21 countries selling products including corrugated, containerboard, bag-in-box, solidboard and solidboard packaging. We have a growing base in Eastern Europe in many of these product areas. We also have a key position in other product/market segments including graphicboard, MG paper and sack paper.

We are the only large scale pan regional player in the Americas, operating in 11 countries in total in North, Central and South America.

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, MA, RISI operates additional offices throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia.

January, 15th 2014