AbitibiBowater Inc.

MONTREAL—Michel Desbiens has been tapped to head Quebecor World as CEO, replacing long-time chief executive Charles G. Cavell, who first announced his retirement late last year. Desbiens is best known in the industry as the former president and CEO of Donohue, a position he held until the company was sold to Abitibi Consolidated in 2000. Desbiens joined Quebecor World as a director in April 2002 and was named CEO of international operations in November 2002. His appointment was widely expected after Cavell announced that he planned to retire later this month. Desbiens has a long history in the industry and his leadership at Donohue reportedly brought him

Foreign paper and board producers gobble up U.S. industry giants as the market continues to tighten for commercial printers. BY ERIK CAGLE Typically, activity in the paper industry is about as gripping as a documentary on fast-drying paints. But during a two-week period in February, two of the biggest names in U.S. paper and board manufacturing paired off with large, foreign counterparts in one of the biggest consolidation waves in industry history. When the smoke cleared: UPM-Kymmene, of Finland, purchased Stamford, CT-based Champion International. Finnish-Swedish manufacturer Stora Enso acquired Chicago-based Consolidated Papers, less than a month after buying Norweigan paper wholesaler Carl Emil