Board of Directors

Jimmy S.H. Lee , age 54, has been a director since May 1985 and President and Chief Executive Officer since 1992. Previously, Mr. Lee, during the period that MFC Bancorp Ltd. was our affiliate, he served as a director from 1986, and President from 1988 to December 1996, when it was spun out. During Mr. Lee's tenure with Mercer, we acquired the Rosenthal mill, converted the Rosenthal mill to the production of kraft pulp, constructed and started up the Stendal mill and acquired the Celgar mill.

Kenneth A. Shields , age 63, has been a director since August 2003. Mr. Shields is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Conifex Inc., a private Canadian company pursuing acquisition opportunities in the forestry and sawmilling sector. Mr. Shields currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Raymond James Financial, Inc. and serves as the Chairman and a member of the board of directors of its Canadian subsidiary, Raymond James Ltd., since his retirement as Chief Executive Officer of Raymond James Ltd. in February 2006. Mr. Shields is also a director of TimberWest Forest Corp., a major Canadian timberland and logging company. Mr. Shields has served as past Chairman of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada and Pacifica Papers Inc., and is a former director of each of Slocan Forest Products Ltd. and the Investment Dealers Association of Canada.

Eric Lauritzen , age 73, has been a director since June 2004. Mr. Lauritzen was President and Chief Executive Officer of Harmac Pacific, Inc., a North American producer of softwood kraft pulp previously listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and acquired by Pope & Talbot Inc. in 1998, from May 1994 to July 1998, when he retired. Mr. Lauritzen was Vice President, Pulp and Paper Marketing of MacMillan Bloedel Limited, a North American pulp and paper company previously listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and acquired by Weyerhaeuser Company Limited in 1999, from July 1981 to April 1994.

William D. McCartney , age 56, has been a director since January 2003. Mr. McCartney has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Pemcorp Management Inc., a management services company, since 1990. Mr. McCartney is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Canada.

Guy W. Adams , age 60, has been a director since August 2003. Mr. Adams is the managing member of GWA Advisors, LLC, GWA Investments, LLC and GWA Capital Partners, LLC, where he has served since 2002. GWA Investments is an investment fund investing in publicly traded securities managed by GWA Capital Partners, LLC, a registered investment advisor. Prior to 2002, Mr. Adams was the President of GWA Capital, which he founded in 1996 to invest his own capital in public and private equity transactions, and a business consultant to entities seeking refinancing or recapitalization. Mr. Adams has been a director of Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. since October 2007.

Graeme A. Witts , age 73, has been a director since January 2003. Mr. Witts organized Sanne Trust Company Limited, a trust company located in the Channel Islands, in 1988 and was managing director from 1988 to 2000, when he retired. He is now the Chairman of Azure Property Group, SA, a European hotel group. Mr. Witts is also a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and has previous executive experience with Procter & Gamble Company, as well as with Clarks Shoes. Mr. Witts also has experience in government auditing.

Bernard Picchi, age 62, director since June 2011, has been the Managing Director of Private Wealth Management for Palisade Capital Management, LLC since July 2009. Prior to joining Palisade Capital Management, Mr. Picchi was Managing Partner of Willow Rock Associates, LLC from August 2008 to June 2009, Managing Director of Wall Street Access, LLC from June 2006 to July 2008 and Managing Director of Foresight Research Solutions, LLC from February 2004 to May 2006. Additionally, Mr. Picchi was an All Star rated energy analyst at Solomon Brothers, Kidder Peabody and Lehman Brothers, where he also served as Director of U.S. Stock Research. Mr. Picchi has also been the sole manager of the 5 Star rated $1.5 billion Capital Appreciation Fund of Federated Investors, where he served as U.S. Director of Research from January 2000 to June 2002. Mr. Picchi is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

James Shepherd, age 59, director since June 2011, was President and Chief Executive Officer of Canfor Corporation from 2004 to 2007 and Slocan Forest Products Ltd. from 1999 to 2004. Mr. Shepherd is also the former President of Crestbrook Forest Industries Ltd. and Finlay Forest Industries Limited and is the former Chairman of the Forest Products Association of Canada. Mr. Shepherd has been a director with Canfor Corporation, which is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, from 2004 to 2007 and has been a director of Canfor Pulp Income Fund from 2006 to 2007. Mr. Shepherd is also currently a director of Conifex Timber Inc., which is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, and Buckman Laboratories International Inc.