Obituary: Kari Pälli passes away

With great sadness, L&L announces the death of Kari Pälli, one of UPM Raflatac’s longest serving and most popular characters.  

Speaking for the company, Elisa Nilsson, vice president brand management, said: ‘It is with deep regret that we announce that our beloved colleague Kari Pälli passed away on Saturday evening after a long illness.

‘Kari’s contributions to the labeling business are remarkable. He served in several sales and marketing management positions in Europe, the USA and Asia, where he was actively involved in establishing every Raflatac production facility, terminal and sales office. Before retiring in 2006 as one of UPM's longest serving employees, Kari worked as managing director of the Singapore office and vice president, sales and marketing, Asia Pacific.

‘Almost four decades at UPM and more than two of these at Raflatac made Kari widely known both within and outside of the company. Kari was charismatic and respected by all who knew him. He is greatly missed by his colleagues all over the world.  Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.’

Mike Fairley, Tarsus strategic development director, paid tribute to Pälli. ‘We had a long history together going back to the mid-1980s, frequently sharing speaking platforms at events around the world. Some of my best memories of him are from Latma Congresses in Australia. He was also a regular presenter at the Cowise conferences over the years at which he was always highly regarded for his knowledge and industry insight. Working with him from the early days of the Labelexpo shows in Singapore, visiting the distribution centre, meeting up for dinner – even just sharing industry information – was always a pleasure. Much more than a business acquaintance, I regarded Kari as a good friend.’

Added Roger Pellow, director Tarsus labels and packaging group: ‘This is very sad news. I remember my first meeting with Kari in Singapore 11 years ago he came across as a wonderful man full of personality and a deep knowledge of the industry. He was never one to hold back his words and was always ready to give an opinion which was based on an excellent understanding of the label industry.’

Pictured: Kari Pälli, one of UPM Raflatac’s longest serving and most popular characters

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