Tony Richards, who embarked on a 43-year career in papermaking as an apprentice, joined the company in 2001.
He was appointed site manager at Prudhoe Mill in 2007, later becoming part of the Swedish tissue giant’s UK country management team.
Essity colleagues say goodbye to Tony Richards at his retirement event (Image: Supplied) He also took on additional responsibilities for sites in the north west.
Mr Richards gained national attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, regularly appearing on TV and in the press as the spokesman for an industry challenged by the panic-buying of toilet rolls.
He assured the public that there was no chance of the UK running out of toilet rolls and made donations of product to Northumberland County Council’s shielding hub.
Tony Richards’ leaving cake baked by Tyne Valley Cakery in Prudhoe (Image: Supplied) His successor is Martin Hallissey, former head of projects.
After graduating with a biochemistry degree, Mr Hallissey joined Procter & Gamble as an intern and spent 17 years with the company.
He then worked for Greggs as site engineering manager before joining Essity in 2023.
Mr Hallissey said: “Tony will be a hard act to follow.
“As well as being a popular boss, and well-known in the community in which he lived and worked, he was also a major figure in the tissue industry right across Europe.”
“But, looking to the future, these are exciting times for Prudhoe.
“Our multi-million pound, three-year project to create the UK’s most modern wastepaper recycling plant is due for completion later this year.
“This will improve energy efficiency and increase our ability to make household products from recycled fibre.
“Sustainability is also at the heart of a number of proposed new engineering projects that will help us to future-proof the site and safeguard the jobs of our 400-strong workforce.”
The Prudhoe Mill is the town’s biggest employer and Northumberland’s second-largest manufacturer, producing products such as Cushelle, Plenty, and Velvet.