2020 Speakers & Panellists

Biography to follow...

Biography to follow..

Karl is working with innovation in the division Packaging Solutions at Stora Enso. Karl’s passion for sustainability and innovation comes in handy when working with both local and  global customers in facilitating innovation workshops, business development projects and other customer cases of reducing or eliminating plastic waste. A M.Sc in Chemistry  and experiences from many pulp & paper mills helps in the technical discussions. The world needs o become more circular in resource usage and Stora Enso wants to be part of the solution, everything that is made from fossil today can be made from a tree tomorrow!

Kate Bezar is co-founder of the leading global supplier of home compostable packaging for eCommerce, The Better Packaging Co. Kate is a Creative Director with a passion for the environment, a background in strategic management consulting (Booz Allen & Hamilton), a 1st Class Honours Degree in Chemistry and a history of successful entrepreneurship and innovation. 

Biography to follow...

Pete has almost 30 years’ experience in product and packaging innovation. Pete joined Tin Horse 20 years ago as a director of Tin Horse, and has worked across multiple categories including transport, food and drink, personal care, paint and lubricants, pharmaceuticals and home care. Pete’s passion is design thinking and how it applies to the real world of consumers. He’s a believer in agile innovation and the need to successfully pass innovation through company processes and culture.

Jim Chrzan is Vice President of Content and Brand Strategy for PMMI Media Group. PMMI is the association of packaging and processing, and produces PACK EXPO events.  Jim also publishes OEM, the official magazine of the association.  He has worked in packaging for 35 years traveling the U.S. and Europe covering topics such as serialization, the FDA, cold chain logistics, the industrial internet, workforce, automation, processing, and packaging.   He also taught a traveling workshop on package design.

Thierry holds a master in trade engineering and he is a passionate customer and innovation oriented sales manager. Thierry led for years sales teams in Belgium and France in the packaging industry. His expertise later supported  the development of new innovative products in slow-moving markets, to strengthen the added value of Mondi‘s offering.  His problem solving mind-set combined with a passion for sustainable packaging are now dedicated to develop the markets for sack-kraft paper based solutions for the growing e-commerce business.

Leela is a senior research analyst in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy initiative. She uses her technical background to assess emerging innovation opportunities within the plastic packaging sector, specifically focusing on the exciting innovation and business potential offered by upstream solutions. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Queensland.

 

After 25 years of experience in the packaging industry, Manuel Fernandez joined STOROPACK in February 2018 as “Marketing Manager Air Products” first then as “Packaging Systems Integration (PSI). Currently he occupies the position of "Promotion Manager EU (Core Products and PSI)" for the support of sales units.

His career has allowed him to acquire great expertise to meet the needs of customers in terms of choice of protective packaging materials, reorganization and optimization of packaging areas, productivity and work process. This experience has been acquired through countless visits to companies in all sectors of activity.

Manuel previously worked 8 years at SEALEAD AIR as "Account and Trainer Executive" supervising several distributors. Then 14 years at EASYPACK / PREGIS as sales manager in France. Period during which he contributed to the development and significant growth of the structure and the recognition of the brand.

Simon works for HP Inc. as the Worldwide Brand Innovation Manager for Corrugated Solutions. Prior to this role he worked within HP Inc’s Graphic Solutions Business - WW Marketing Team. Travelling extensively, Simon engages brands & print service providers on the advantages and opportunities offered by digitally printing corrugated packaging and point of sale.

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Marlena Hardy is e – Commerce Packaging Business Development Manager & Regional Category Manger at DS Smith.

She joined the business in 2018 and focuses on development of e-Commerce products and business (DS Smith e-Commerce Toolbox) in Europe. She is also working with a network of DS Smith e-Commerce sales specialists in Europe and plays an active role in building the e-Commerce category.

Marlena's experience includes retail and FMCG. She held several Global and Regional packaging and project management roles with Unilever as well as packaging development role at Asda Walmart. This unique combination of in-depth understanding of the operational, technical, environmental and economic aspects of packaging development in different environments gives her a highly developed insight into the specificity of e-Commerce and its key challenges.

 

 

 

 

Ilkka Harju, Packaging Design Director, is leading the Metsä Board’s packaging design team responsible for the European and Asian markets. Before joining Metsä Board in 2018, he was responsible for packaging design and innovation needs for various companies.​

Harju is renowned for pushing design boundaries by working collaboratively with other designers and technology experts. He constantly advocates the role of responsible design, technology and renewable raw materials as a tool for a healthier environment. In 2017 Harju received a Worldstar Award for his jewelry packaging design.

James Harmer is the Planning Director at Touch. He has over 20 years of experience in the branding and packaging design industry. Working for leaders in brand consulting and design, such as Landor Associates and Design Bridge. Developing brand communications and delivering major packaging innovation for global FMCG companies.

James is responsible for navigating the trends, challenges and opportunities that will impact client’s brands in future. His role involves creating and delivering bespoke innovation initiatives across the FMCG packaging world.

Michel is a passionate Innovation Manager and creative problem solver. In his role, Michel is shaping the overall innovation agenda at DHL through developing industry trend reports and identifying, piloting and commercializing state-of-the art technology solutions for the logistics industry and its customers. Within the Trend Research team, Michel’s work focuses on future application areas of drone technologies within logistics operations and the introduction of upcoming packaging innovations to the business.

Michel joined Deutsche Post DHL Group in 2017 and worked for the global innovation team at the Innovation Centers in Germany and Singapore. Michel studied in France and Germany and holds a Master’s degree with a focus on Technology & Innovation Management.

Joe brings over 15 years’ experience in the packaging industry working for large entities such as International Paper and Lindenmeyr Munroe, creating and scaling teams and product lines that powered huge global service and luxury brands’ packaging solutions. A graduate of Syracuse University, Joe realized the opportunity to create a new kind of packaging company that traditional companies weren’t structured or motivated to evolve towards.

Yi is responsible for global ecommerce & business development based in Amcor’s headquarters in Zurich. Yi joined Amcor in 2008 and held multiple roles in marketing, innovation and business development based in USA and Europe. Yi’s packaging and market knowledge span across diverse end-use segments and across rigid, flexible packaging and folding cartons. Her passion is connecting the dots between market insights and solutions to drive growth for Amcor and its customers. Prior to Amcor, Yi previously worked for Philips in retail marketing and management in China. Yi holds an MBA from Henry B. Tippie School of Management, The University of Iowa, USA.

Krzysztof Krajewski is currently Global Head of Packaging (R&D) in RB based in Amsterdam. Leading multinational team of Global Packaging Managers and R&D Packaging associates he works on innovative projects and sustainable initiatives across Fabric Care and Dish Wash categories. His current role is focusing on key NPDs delivery, platforms across brands, e-commerce, strategic partnerships and driving sustainability agenda.

His career started 18 years ago in plastic industry (injection moulding and blow moulding) and then transitioned to FMCG when joining rb. Last 13 years have been dedicated to regional supply and R&D Packaging, during which Krzysztof was relocating several times (Poland, Singapore, Italy and Amsterdam) collecting valuable knowledge about multi-cultural business environment and how Packaging can vary suiting different strategic needs. Strong believer that Packaging should be driven through purpose with consumer and environment at heart.

Tommi Lehtisalo is the business development manager of Paptic Ltd. Since graduating from Helsinki University of Technology (M.Sc. in paper technology and international marketing and business strategy) in 1995 Tommi has worked mainly in specialty paper business area in leading companies (Ahlstrom, Tervakoski, UPM, Mondi) in product development, -management and technical sales positions gaining solid experience in managing key accounts worldwide.

He has also worked as a product manager and senior expert in industrial resource efficiency and circular economy projects.

Liz Logue became EFI’s VP of Inkjet Customer/Brand Engagement and Strategy in 2019, a new role focused on helping EFI’s digital corrugated customers engage with brands. Logue’s work helps drive market awareness about digital printing and value it brings to the consumers. She also researches and develops strategies to extend EFI’s inkjet technology portfolio into additional new markets that can benefit from the and continuing analog to digital transformation in print manufacturing.

Prior to taking her current role, Logue was Vice president  of Corporate Business Development, and Ink Jet strategy at EFI. In that position, she was responsible for planning, market evaluation and execution behind strategic M&A and new market development activity. Her work has included directing or assisting in EFI’s strategic moves into ceramics, textiles and corrugated packaging, working with engineering, ink and software teams to implement the correct solutions for target markets.

Prior to joining EFI in 2008, Logue worked for 10 years in various roles at IT Strategies, a specialized strategic consultancy company focused on the digital print industry.  In her roles she advised hardware, ink and software vendors on corporate, product and M&A strategy. She also managed research initiatives, maintained industry relationships and kept abreast of the latest technology developments.

Logue, who lives in the Boston area, has a BA in marketing and finance from Simmons College.  She has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia and is a frequent speaker at industry events.

Miguel brings CPG, Retail, E-commerce, Category Management experience, where he has seen the effects that packaging can have for retailers, and consumers to make decisions and the importance for brand building.  As technology evolves, and more transactions happen online, packaging plays a bigger role of a customer touch-point.

 

Based in London, Miguel leads Google’s B2B vertical marketing efforts across the region. Miguel joined Google Poland in 2015; since then, he has focused on helping EMEA in-country teams to work on programs that enable our advertisers to become successful in their business with Google’s capabilities - Focusing on e-commerce, App Developers, and Exporters, inc development and launch of successful global platforms (e.g. Market Finder or Grow My Store). In Google’s mission to help businesses grow.

Prior to Google, Miguel was part of the Global Strategy Group at Samsung Electronics in South Korea, advising c-level exec on go-to-market strategies for mobile devices. Before, he spent 6 years in sales/biz development at Procter & Gamble in Latin America, and 1 year as an entrepreneur.  

Miguel was recently recognized for his achievements with the global award: P&G Alumni Visionaries Under 40. 

He holds an MBA degree from the University of Michigan, and a BBA from ITESM Mexico.

Brian Matuszewski joined TerraCycle in 2017 to project lead the development of Loop. Today, Brian serves as the Global Lead of Innovation & Strategic Alliances for Loop, a global platform that enables consumer product companies and retailers to shift from a disposable supply chain to a durable one. In May 2019, in partnership with world-leading retailers and consumer product good companies, Loop launched a circular economy e-commerce platform in the US and France that provides consumers products redesigned for a waste-free shopping experience.

Prior to joining TerraCycle, Brian worked as head of sustainability for Automotive Resources International (ARI), one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle fleet management companies. While at ARI, Brian oversaw the development of the organization’s corporate responsibility strategy as well as the creation and development of the company's sustainable fleet management consulting service, ARI SustainableWorks™.

Brian holds a Master of Public Administration degree with a minor in Environmental Policy as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, USA.

 

Natasha is leading strategic marketing for Amcor Flexibles based in Amcor’s headquarters in Zurich. She joined Amcor in 2014 and since then held multiple roles in marketing, innovation and product management. Natasha’s expertise covers the full range of flexible packaging solutions and their end-use markets. She is passionate about translating market trends into business opportunities and mobilizing organizations to pursue them. Currently, among other projects, Natasha is leading e-commerce initiative for Amcor Flexibles EMEA. Prior to Amcor Natasha held various marketing and commercial roles at industrial companies as well as worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company specializing in marketing and sales. Natasha holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.   

European Outdoor Group, MBA from University of Cambridge, Apple Inc., bachelors degree in marketing.

Nedim Nisic is responsible for the e-commerce market development for Mondi Corrugated Solutions. Since joining Mondi two years ago, him and his team have set market development strategy for Corrugated Solutions. The cornerstone of the strategy revolves around sustainability, consumer demands and productivity of the packing process. Before joining Mondi, Nedim worked in the digital industry where he consulted e-commerce on how to scale up their businesses. He holds a MBA degree from Cleveland State University, USA.

Ulrika Nordvall Bardh has for the past 11 years worked for the H&M Group in various positions, all related to Non Commercial Goods, like packaging, buildings, store construction and interior. Currently she is based at the Global Sustainability Department, working as Circular Strategy Lead for Noncommercial Goods. As part of her role lies the responsibilities of the Groups Circular Packaging Strategy including the goalsetting process. She is also representing the group in the working group lead by The Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation related to the initiative The New Plastic Economy, Global Commitment. She has recently worked with the startup of one of the  groups brand ARKET where she was situated at the Expansion- and store concept  team. Before that, she worked at the Global Visual Department  driving and representing the functions sustainability work

Sara Raikamo is the CEO of Pa-Hu Oy, a family owned packaging business in third generation. Pa-Hu Oy is and has always been passionate about reinventing packaging to meet the demands from a changing world. Sara is passionate about smart packaging solutions and the environment, which can be seen on the company’s innovation agenda

Matti Rantanen is a Managing Director of the European Envelope Manufacturers Association (FEPE) who helps the Association members with the market analysis, promoting and business development.

Before starting as Managing Director, Matti worked number of years as a Public Affairs Consultant and Political Adviser. Matti is experienced in Public Affairs, Political Communication, Corporate Communication and Entrepreneurship. Matti has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused in Business Administration and Management.

When not working, Matti enjoys practicing for kayathlon, cooking, and planning for the next adventures with his family and friends.

25 years in the job, worked for various Brands, mostly billion $ Brands (Wick, Blend-a-dent, Crest, Oral b, Wella) in P&G in global Packaging R&D roles, since a merger for COTY. Coty is a world leader consumer goods company in Beauty care with Brands like Hugo Boss, Chloe, Bruno Banani, Addidas, WELLA, OPI etc).

Our R&D work is focused on Consumer delight, First & Second Moment of Truth with maximum value creation for consumers around the world.

With over ten years of experience in the adhesives industry, Elizabeth Staab leads strategic marketing for the Packaging and Beverage markets globally. She has a strong passion for sustainable solutions that offer true customer benefits.

Uwe Streiber, Lead Warehouse Consumables, is responsible for the packaging management at Zalando. Together with his team he is taking care of the development, procurement and daily supply of consumables as well as packaging materials for the company. Before joining Zalando, Uwe Streiber worked as packaging and process engineer at MSP GmbH in Cologne and at DeutscheMTM-Vereinigung e.V. in Hamburg. He holds a Master of Engineering in Packaging Technology from Beuth University of Applied Sciences in Berlin.

 

Olivier is CEO of Suez trading as well as the Industrial Market Director for the Pulp & Paper industry. Suez is a worldwide leader in water and waste resources management. We are providing our customers - industry, local authorities and consumers - partners and stakeholders, all over the world, with operational solutions to address new resource management challenges. From a master of Business Administration and Management at NEOMA Business School through being Managing Director in different firms, Olivier has developed a strong operational and technical background.

Olivier lead an experienced team with strong business focus skills that work in supplying secondary raw materials with high standard of professionalism. In a complex industry, where regulations are becoming more and more stringent, we focus on providing quality commodities that are used to fuel the customer processes and/or, more and more, to generate energy. With a strong European historical base with expanding international activities in providing secondary raw materials and fuels, Olivier and his team are supporting profitable growth.”

 

Biography to follow...

Frits van den Bos (1963) is Manager Innovation at GS1 Netherlands. For almost 30 year he is helping retailers and manufacturers to align their business processes in order to collaboratively create better value at lower costs for their consumers. Over the last 10 years his focus has been on the impact that online retail, sustainability and circularity bring to this collaborations. The link between products and the associated data proves to be a key enabler in this context.

 

David has been fascinated by marketing since his childhood. The first 10 years of his working life, he spend in management consulting, focusing on fixing strategic and growth challenges for CPG companies in US and Europe.

In 2005 he joined Perfetti Van Melle and took care of various candy brands in Benelux, focusing on innovation and impactful communications. Besides strong brand growth, the work was recognized with a Golden Effie and a British Design Effectiveness award. From 2010 to 2015 he was responsible for Marketing and Trade Marketing teams in Perfetti Van Melle Vietnam – achieving 5 years of consecutive double-digit growth for the brands in this emerging South East Asian country.

Since 2015 he is Perfetti’s Global Ecommerce Lead, supporting operating companies around the globe to quickly develop e-commerce skills and achieve above fair share in this emerging new eco-system.

Siti is working as a Product Manager at Ace & Tate; an Amsterdam-based eyewear company with over 50 stores across Europe, where she started working 6 years ago. As a Product Manager, she is currently part of the Product Design team working alongside the designers. In addition to supervising and enabling the development process of every eyewear collection, she is responsible for developing sustainable solutions to packaging & additional products.

Richard leads the regional design team within Mars Wrigley Confectionary, shaping the design and innovation agenda to ensure that the innovation pipeline is fuelled with customer-centric solutions that meet our global brands’ strategies and individual market requirements, across our portfolio of chocolate, gum and fruity confections.

Herwin holds a Master in Business Administration as well as Technology & Innovation Management. He has over 15 years of experience in the packaging industry across different management roles in the sales and business development areas. He has a large breadth of knowledge and experience of working with and being responsible for some of the world's largest FMCG customers. During recent years, Herwin has been part of, and managed a multi-discipline innovation team (from development to implementation) with a clear focus and track record in ecommerce, supply chain and logistics. Sustainability is one of his passions, both from a business perspective and personally, being a father of three he wants to leave them a better planet. His current responsibilities include growing and building the ecommerce category for Smurfit Kappa and its customers.

Philip Wirsen is a Global Strategy & Channel Leader at Tetra Pak. He helps food & beverage manufacturers and retailers identify opportunities to differentiate, optimize their supply chain and improve their sustainability by producing data-driven analysis and cost benchmarking. He also leads the global Ecommerce & Foodservice strategy.
Before his time at Tetra Pak, Philip spent three years at the Copenhagen Business School and has a degree in International Business & Politics.