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Catalyst Selects New Board in Preparation for Exit from Creditor Protection

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Catalyst Paper, Richmond, B.C., Canada, this week announced the selection of seven individuals to form its new board of directors as the company emerges from creditor protection. The seven were selected by certain of the senior secured and unsecured noteholders in accordance with terms of the court-sanctioned second amended Plan of Arrangement:

John Brecker brings director and management experience in a family of hedge funds as well as operations expertise in the chemical, retail, and auto industries. He holds a law degree from St. John's University and a political science degree from American University. Giorgio Caputo is a portfolio manager and senior analyst with First Eagle's Global Value Team. He has worked in the financial services and investment management industries since 1996, most recently with Credit Suisse and JANA Partners. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Business School.

John Charles is a CA with more than 30 years of leadership experience in telecommunications, investment banking, mining, and real estate. A Queen's University graduate, he is currently on the board of directors of Aeroman and AVEOS Holdings, Prism Medical Ltd., LeBlanc & Royle Enterprises, and Jones Brown. He also is a former director of AVEOS Fleet Performance Inc. Kevin J. Clarke is currently president and CEO and a director of Catalyst Paper, and will continue on the new board.

Todd Dillabough is president, CEO, and COO of Trident Resources Corp., an independent natural gas E&P company that was restructured in 2010. He holds a BSc in geology from the University of Calgary, is a former governor of CAPP, and a former director of AVEOS Fleet Performance Inc. Walter Jones brings 25 years of hands-on experience as a turnaround consultant with companies in a range of industries. He holds a BSc in industrial engineering from Pennsylvania State University and has served in a variety of operating, restructuring and executive roles. Leslie Lederer is a former industry executive with Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. and a specialist in corporate restructuring, financing, mergers, and acquisitions. He served in key roles with SSAB Svenskt Stal AB and IPSCO Inc. and is a member of the Illinois Bar.

In preparing to turn governance of Catalyst to the new board, current Chairman Jeffrey Marshall noted that many parties played a vital role in ensuring the second amended Plan of Arrangement was approved by creditors and sanctioned by Order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia on June 28, 2012.

"Typically, CCAA proceedings with companies as large as Catalyst take years, not months, to be completed and this one reached the sanction stage in six months with the company now set to emerge in the very near term," Marshall said. "To achieve this result in such a timely fashion would not have been possible without the dedication and unwavering support of employees, unions, management team, customers, suppliers, retirees, and pensioners, as well as the communities where Catalyst operations are located," he added.

Catalyst Paper produces specialty mechanical printing papers, newsprint, and pulp. It operates four mills in British Columbia (Canada) and Arizona (USA), with a combined annual production capacity of 1.8 million metric tons.

 

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