Sappi Limited -Sappi appoints new Chief Executive Officer

Sappi Limited -Sappi appoints new Chief Executive Officer                       
Sappi Limited                                                                   
Share Code:    SAP                                                              
ISIN:          ZAE000006284                                                     
Press Release                                                                   
Johannesburg, 10 February 2003                                                  
Sappi appoints new Chief Executive Officer.                                     
Sappi Limited announced today that Jonathan Leslie, currently Chief Executive of
the Diamonds and Gold Group of Rio Tinto plc, will join the group in April this 
year as Chief Executive Officer.  At that time Sappi will split the roles of    
Chairman and Chief Executive, and Eugene van As, the current Chief Executive    
Officer, will retire as CEO and become Non-Executive Chairman of the group.     
Jonathan Leslie is a businessman with a great deal of international experience, 
and has had a highly successful career at Rio Tinto where he has been           
responsible for a wide range of corporate activities, including in the past the 
Rossing Uranium mine in Namibia, the Copper Group and, more recently, the       
Diamonds and Gold Group.  He has lived and worked in many countries of the world
and is familiar with managing an operation with diverse cultures.  He and his   
wife, Pepe, will be relocating to Johannesburg from London where they now live. 
Sappi announced about a year ago that it intended splitting the role of Chairman
and Chief Executive, when Eugene van As, the current Executive Chairman,        
retires, and that it was conducting a global search for a new Chief Executive.  
Commenting on the process undertaken by Sappi, David Brink, a Non-Executive     
Director of the group and Chairman of the group`s Selection Committee, said     
today that the board had set out to find a new leader for the group that met    
specific characteristics.  Ideally, it wanted somebody who would lead the group 
for the next eight to ten years, and who could build on Sappi`s successful      
formula, keeping the culture of the group intact whilst growing it to its full  
potential.  Mr. Brink said the Committee had an excellent group of candidates to
choose from, and the initial short list of six candidates included four         
nationalities.  The board is satisfied that it has chosen the best possible     
candidate to lead the company.                                                  
Jonathan Leslie said today that he was very excited about joining Sappi Limited,
"I was attracted by the group`s business strategy, its successful track record  
and its already significant market shares in Africa, Europe and the United      
States.  I look forward to developing the business further and attaining its    
strategic objectives.  Sappi seems to be well positioned and poised to be able  
to grow.  I have been particularly impressed when studying the group`s reports  
by its financial discipline and rigorous process of allocating capital.  I look 
forward to working with the Sappi team".                                        
Eugene van As, Sappi`s current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said "I am 
delighted that Jonathan has agreed to join the Sappi group, and I could not be  
more pleased with the board`s choice.  He is a first-rate executive and he      
brings valuable skills and international experience to the group.  I know he    
will get unqualified support from the Sappi team and will be an excellent leader
and get the best out of all of them".                                           
As regards his new role as Non-Executive Chairman, van As said, "I have been at 
Sappi a very long time and I am conscious of the fact that it is time for change
and for new dynamic leadership.  I am also very conscious of the need for the   
new CEO to be the undisputed leader of the business.  When I hand over executive
responsibilities after a short transition period to familiarise Jonathan with   
the business, he will lead the company.  My role as Non-Executive Chairman will 
be to provide a sounding board for Jonathan when he needs it, and to ensure that
the appropriate debate on major strategic issues and decisions is properly and  
transparently aired at board meetings, and to maintain the culture of open      
debate and good corporate governance".                                          
End                                                                             
Notes to the Editor:                                                            
A photo of Mr. Jonathan Leslie, as well as the electronic version of this       
document, can be accessed on the Sappi website www.sappi.com.                   
Sappi Limited is the world`s largest producer of coated fine paper with leading 
market shares in North America, Europe and Africa.  It is also the world`s      
largest producer of dissolving pulp.  It has manufacturing operations in eight  
countries on three continents and customers in more than 100 countries.         
Rio Tinto is one of the world`s largest mining and resources groups, employing  
approximately 36 000 people and operating on every continent.                   
Biographical information                                                        
Jonathan C A Leslie                                                             
Born in Kasulu, Tanzania on 13 December 1950, Jonathan Leslie, a British        
citizen, was educated at Trinity College, Oxford, receiving a Master of Arts    
degree in Jurisprudence.  He was called to the Bar in 1974.                     
He joined Rio Tinto in 1977.  In the years leading up to his appointment as     
mining director in 1994, he had a wide experience of the company`s interests in 
Africa, Australia, Latin America and the United States, including Managing      
Director of Rossing Uranium in Namibia.  Prior to becoming Chief Executive of   
the Diamonds and Gold Group in 1999, he was Chief Executive of the Copper Group 
from 1997.  He is also a director of Lihir Gold.                                
He was appointed a director of Rio Tinto plc in 1994 and of Rio Tinto Limited in
1995.                                                                           
He is married to Pepe, also a qualified lawyer, and they have 4 grown-up        
children (two sets of twins) - a son and three daughters.                       
He has lived in the UK, the USA, Namibia and Australia.                         
His interests include racket sports; he gained five different blues at Oxford   
University and was the leading British amateur squash player from 1976 - 1980.  
CAREER SUMMARY                                                                  
  1974 - 1977  CHANCERY CHAMBERS                                                
     Barrister                                                                  
1977 - present    RIO TINTO                                                   
  1977-1980    Legal Department                                                 
  1980-1984    Uranium Marketing Executive, Mineral Services                    
  1984-1985    Strategy Department (Australian Desk)                            
1985-1987    PA to the Chief Executive                                        
  1987-1989    Strategy Manager, Metals Group                                   
     Responsible for Zimbabwe operations                                        
  1989-1991    Director Latin America and RTZ Mining and Metals Ltd             
Chairman Anglesey Aluminium (smelter)                            

               Chairman Copper Pass (smelter in Hull)                           
               Rio Tinto Representative on Escondita Owners Council (Chile      
               copper mine run by BHP)                                          
Managing Director, Rossing Uranium Ltd, Namibia                  

  1994         Appointed to Main Board with responsibilities in Europe, Brazil, 
               Namibia, India and Papua New Guinea                              
  1995         Director RTZ-CRA Dual listed company                             
1996         CRA Group Executive, Melbourne                                   
     Responsibilities included Group Operations                                 
  1997         Acting President of Kennecott Corporation based in Salt Lake City
  1997-1999    CEO Copper Group                                                 
1999 - present    CEO Diamonds and Gold Group                                 
For further information please contact:                                         
Andr Oberholzer                                                                
Corporate Affairs Manager                                                       
Sappi Limited                                                                   
Tel +27 (0)11 407 8044                                                          
Fax +27 (0)11 403 8236                                                          
Cell +27 (0)82 906 0638                                                         
Andre.Oberholzer@za.sappi.com                                                   
Date: 10/02/2003 09:00:03 AM Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za                     
Produced by the JSE SENS Department