Graphic Packaging International announced late Monday it will undertake a series of changes in the coming weeks, including bringing in a new CEO and conducting layoffs in 2026.
Mike Doss, president and CEO for 10 years, will depart as of Dec. 31, and Robbert Rietbroek will take over on Jan. 1, according to a securities filing. Doss will also leave his position on the company’s board at that time, and Rietbroek will join the board. GPI did not offer a reason for Doss’ departure.
Rietbroek served as CEO of beverage company Primo Brands Corp. from November 2024 to November 2025 and brings more than 25 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies, according to GPI. Primo Brands was created last year when Primo Water Corp. merged with an affiliate of Blue Triton Brands.
Prior to Primo, Rietbroek spent five years in leadership roles at Quaker Foods North America, owned by PepsiCo; had leadership roles for PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand; and held leadership roles for Kimberly-Clark’s baby and child care business in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
The securities filing shows that Rietbroek will receive base salary at an initial rate of $1,350,000 per year along with incentives, stock and other compensation. As part of the employment agreement, Rietbroek must relocate from his current residence in the Dallas area to somewhere in the Atlanta area near company headquarters by next September.
Doss, who started his career at GPI in 1990, became president in 2015 and CEO in 2016.
Separately, GPI announced that it will lay off an undisclosed number of employees in 2026 as part of a plan to cut costs by $60 million. Doss had alluded to the company examining cost-cutting opportunities during the company’s Q3 earnings call in November.
The company said in a news release that it is working to offer employment placement assistance and support to the affected workers. GPI anticipates an approximately $20 million charge associated with severance and related costs.
Graphic Packaging International did not respond by publication time to questions about Doss’ departure or the employee layoffs.
Doss had also discussed on the November earnings call plans for GPI to further reduce inventory in the fourth quarter of this year. With the October startup of the company’s new recycled paperboard mill in Waco, Texas, GPI will accelerate certain inventory reductions that had been planned for 2026 and initiate them this year instead, according to the news release. The company anticipates the production curtailment will have a $15 million impact on fourth-quarter results, in addition to the previously stated $15 million discussed on the earnings call.
As part of Monday’s announcements, GPI also lowered its projected adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for full-year 2025 to $1.38 billion to $1.43 billion, down from a previous estimate of $1.4 billion to $1.45 billion.
Executives have discussed challenging market conditions during earnings calls for several quarters, with Doss saying in July that it was a “highly unusual time” in which economic strain and uncertainty were continuing to hurt volumes. The company attributed lower sales volumes to consumer spending pullbacks in areas such as food, health and beauty, and food service.
As part of the Waco startup, GPI also confirmed this quarter that it will close its mill in East Angus, Quebec, and let go approximately 120 employees by early 2026.
