Georgia-Pacific LLC today announced that Bill Sleeper, president – Georgia-Pacific Professional Washroom and Wiper Solutions, has announced his decision to retire from the company in January 2012 after more than 40 years of service.

Effective immediately, Scott Light, currently president – Communications Papers, will assume leadership for the Washroom and Wiper business, and has been promoted to president – Georgia-Pacific Professional Washroom and Wiper Solutions and Communication Papers. He will continue to report to Kathy Walters, executive vice president – Global Consumer Products. Sleeper and Light will work closely together over the next several months prior to Sleeper’s retirement.

“I want to thank Bill for his tremendous contributions to our company. I’m also very pleased that he has agreed to stay on for a few months to help with a smooth transition for our customers and our organization,” Walters said. “At the same time, we are fortunate to have a talented leader like Scott who understands this business and knows many of our distributors and customers.”

Sleeper joined the company in 1969 and has held roles in nearly every aspect of managing the business, and has experience in paperboard and flexible packaging, communication papers and consumer products. He worked in pricing, strategic planning, operations, marketing, product development and business management. He was promoted to his most recent position as president in 2007.

Light joined Georgia-Pacific in 1999 as a business analyst. He has held a number of key leadership positions in the paper business, including director of finance, vice president - sales, marketing and business development, and vice president and general manager. He was promoted to president of communication papers in 2009. Prior to joining Georgia-Pacific, he worked for Price Waterhouse LLP, Specialty Brands and Frito-Lay.