2018 Speaker Lineup

Susan Bell is the Global Vice President of Strategy, Business Development and M&A for the Product Care division. Product Care has annual global sales in excess of $1.6 billion, driven by an industry-leading portfolio of packaging innovations designed to resolve the demanding challenges of moving products through complex and evolving global supply chains.

Susan is responsible for leading the global team which is charged with creating the divisional strategy, catalyzing and executing mergers and acquisitions, developing new business, generating customer and market intelligence and to ensure the division outperforms the market. Susan brings to Sealed Air more than 20 years of global marketing and sales experience in strategy, business development, and global account leadership across consumer and industrial markets.  

Prior to assuming this Strategic leadership role in 2016, Susan was most recently with Sonoco where she held progressively expanding roles, including Global Corporate Customer Director for 3M where she drove global sales expansion, and M&A Manager where she developed the market segmentation strategy and led the largest accretive acquisition in Sonoco history. Prior to Sonoco Susan held various global marketing and commercial leadership roles at Stanley-Black & Decker, Ingersoll Rand and Newell-Rubbermaid.

Susan attended Emory University as a double major in Chemistry and Biology and Georgia State University, where she earned a BBA in Marketing, and a minor in Advertising.

Susan has been awarded three US patents (08329268, 8329268 B2 and 2351444 A1) for innovative products. She believes that people are a company’s greatest asset and that lifetime learning is the key to success. Susan belongs to the National Organization of Women and is a founding member of the Anne Springs Close Greenway Ladies Guild where she currently serves on the Development Committee and Sponsorship Chairperson.

Susan and her husband Brian enjoy living in Fort Mill, SC where they enjoy discovering life with their two children, Morgan and Aaron and own a family Educational Services business.

A consultant with thinkstep in Boston, Sebastian works with a wide range of organizations on product sustainability and corporate sustainability initiatives. He develops eco-design tools based on life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to help businesses understand and shape the environmental impact profiles of their products and services. Passionate about sustainability strategy, Sebastian drives product portfolio assessment, sustainability scorecard, and circular economy projects and consults on corporate responsibility reporting, carbon accounting, and science-based targets. This broad skill set allows him to approach each client’s unique objectives with best-practice insight. Prior to joining thinkstep in 2014, Sebastian received his Bachelor degree in Environmental Engineering from Technische Universität Berlin, with his studies focused on LCA and sustainable development. In addition to his technical and methodological expertise, Sebastian brings ten years of experience in marketing and advertising.

Thom Chow is a Customer Solutions Director with the Enterprise Customer Facing team.  Thom has responsibility leading and supporting a team of Solutions Development Managers as well as Business Development in the High Tech, Industrial and Automotive sector.  

Thom has an extensive background in the wireless telecom & new technology development industry.  Prior to joining UPS, Thom spent over 21 years leading teams in engineering, end user device and product development, wireless startups, field operations as well as strategic planning in corporate staff positions for major wireless service providers.  Thom also spent over 6 years as a consultant in the wireless technology space.

Dennis Colley is President/CEO of the Fibre Box Association (FBA), a non-profit trade association representing North American manufacturers of corrugated packaging.  In this role, Colley leads the organization in supporting the corrugated industry through data sharing, issues management and communications.

Colley also serves as Executive Director of the Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA).  CPA is a corrugated industry initiative, jointly sponsored by the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), AICC - The Independent Packaging Association, Fibre Box Association (FBA) and The Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI).

In 2016, Colley was appointed President of the International Corrugated Case Association (ICCA).  Founded in 1961, ICCA is a non-profit global association of national or regional trade associations representing corrugated box manufacturers. The association also includes individual company members as leadership members.

Prior to his position at FBA, Colley spent 35 years at International Paper where he held management positions in mill operations, converting operations, global containerboard and supply chain.  Colley previously served the industry as a member of the American Forest & Paper Association’s Containerboard Sector Board and co-chair of the Corrugated Packaging Alliance (CPA). 

Colley is a graduate of the University of Alabama.  He currently serves on the Board of the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation (ICPF).  He and his wife Elaine have been married since 1974 and together they have five children and seven grandchildren. 

Over the last 15 years, Jeroen worked within the packaging industry in various positions, across different departments all over Europe. 2 years ago he build the first Experience Center for Smurfit Kappa outside of Europe. The EC in Dallas is equipped with the latest cutting edge technologies, allowing customers and designers to come together and develop solutions that deliver customer growth and maximize business success through insights and innovation.

Dylan de Thomas is Vice President of Industry Collaboration for The Recycling Partnership, working with the team there to increase the quantity and quality of the curbside collected recyclables across the U.S. as well as working to boost the economic health of the recycling industry as a whole. Previous to joining the Partnership, he worked for Resource Recycling, Inc. for a decade, directing and producing editorial content for three publications and three conferences covering various aspects of the recycling industry.

Rebecca Dominick leads the PepsiCo eCommerce Packaging R&D team, with responsibility for North America Nutrition Beverages, including brands such as Gatorade, Tropicana, Naked Juice, and IZZE.  She has been with PepsiCo Research and Development for over 6 years, with experience in Package Quality Assurance and Packaging Innovation.  Rebecca also had the opportunity to lead a packaging based research assignment located in the Middle East.  Prior to PepsiCo, Rebecca worked for the Beauty Industry in New York City, across multiple Packaging remits, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging from Michigan State University.    

With more than 25 years in the packaging industry, Becky is intimately experienced with developing and executing international market strategy, leading global business and packaging development teams, and pioneering consumer research efforts to better understand consumer lifestyle and packaging preferences. This understanding influences packaging design features and functionality leading to the development of packaging solutions that drive consumer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Becky’s extensive, global packaging manufacturing experience and approach stimulates new thinking for the use of platforms and technologies that can be critical for brand owners. She guides brand owners on a sound path to success and inspires the TricorBraun team to develop and meet customer needs with delivery of the best packaging solutions possible.

“It’s important to me that my team and I never stop questioning ‘the why’ and exploring the ‘what if’ when it comes to developing meaningful packaging solutions that delight the consumer. My commitment and passion is centered in an exploration of consumer preferences to deliver insight-driven packaging solutions that are innovative, yet mindful of real world constraints. When we ask consumers how and why they use products, we are able to elevate every aspect of package design form, fit and function to help our customers win whether at brick and mortar locations or via ecommerce.”

Rob is a graduate with a BS in Packaging from the University of Wisconsin – Stout and has been working at 3M in our Packaging Solutions group since 1995.

For the past 10 years, Rob has been supporting 3M's Consumer Businesses.  Most notably their 3M Command Brand product line along with various consumer safety products like Hearing Protection, Eyewear, Respirators and Consumer Electrical products.  Rob is also the Packaging Team Supervisor for our Construction & Home Improvements Markets Division.  Additional responsibilities include taking the lead role in addressing the packaging needs for 3M SKUs sold through Amazon focusing on SIOC or FFP certification.  Also working with the How2Recycle.com team to develop a catalog list of icons to use for common 3M packaging systems across the consumer side of the business. 

Dr. Karin Agius Ferrante  - After finishing her PhD in Economics, Karin has worked for Smurfit Kappa for almost 13 years. Her roles have taken her from the German corrugated plants and National Sales Team to Pan European and currently Pan American Sales. She has managed large international customers, as well as regional business development workshops across customers, categories and regions. Most recently she is working on a regional e-commerce and packaging project to gain insights into the challenges and requirements of the different markets across the Americas.

Current Role:  Market Manager-Protective Packaging, DowDuPont Packaging & Specialty Plastics

Past Roles:  Account Manager-Food & Specialty Packaging, DowDuPont Packaging & Specialty Plastics

Education:  B.S Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University

With over 17 years in Packaging Design for CPG products, Charles brings a significant background of knowledge to his current role in Mondelēz where he is currently supporting Technical Quality initiatives for the North American Biscuit Division. Previously he has helped to define Shelf Life and Distribution standards for Snacks.  Most recently he was working in a Global eCommerce role where Mondelēz is leveraging its category leadership in Chocolate, Biscuit and Gum & Candy to grow in this game-changing buying behavior. Within eCommerce, there is a huge opportunity to leverage bespoke packaging offerings to customize and personalize right down to an individual consumer. 

Eric Hiser is Vice President of Technical at International Safe Transit Association
(ISTA). He manages the ISTA Technical Division including all technical activities,
development and maintenance of ISTA Procedures and Projects, and ISTA Certification
programs for labs, packaged-products and people.

Eric is a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Packaging with a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Packaging. He is an IoPP Certified Packaging Professional (CPP)
and has an extensive background in transport packaging performance testing as well as
developing packaging for the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market.

Derrick Lawrence is the Director of Packaging Development at Seventh Generation, a leading company in environmentally-safe household products.  He leads the Packaging Development and Water Product Development departments at Seventh Generation.  He has been with Seventh Generation for 4 years and has steadily guided the increase of PCR plastics in bottles to an average of 95%.

Brent Lindberg is annoying, and he knows it. It’s more than just the corny jokes and odd quirks. With a curiosity that rivals George, Brent has the habit of relentlessly asking questions like a 5-year-old. He also has an obnoxious appetite for the unexpected (as anyone who’s seen his wardrobe can tell you). 

Together these traits produce an unorthodox approach to structural packaging design which has built a culture at Fuseneo, the creative studio he started. And somehow, it seems to be working. Their incessant inquisition and boundary-pushing has been reshaping packaging experiences across retail and e-commerce for more than a decade.  

Ciaran is responsible for Smithers information business in North America. This includes 20 events across North America, and Latin America across 3 brands and 10 vertical markets including packaging, biomaterials, polymers and rubber, print and packing. Ciaran is also responsible for Smithers Reports and Consulting business providing authoritative and independent market data, forecasts and strategic insight across these. Ciaran works with his Akron based team to ensure we provide the highest quality content, networking and information services to our client base of multi national companies across the value chain.

As the Sr. Director of Corporate Business Development for one of the most active companies in print technology acquisitions, Liz Logue is responsible for planning, market evaluation and execution behind EFI’s strategic M&A activity. In that role, she has helped EFI identify the next key segment applications that enable EFI customers to capitalize on the accelerating analog to digital transformation in print. Her work in corporate development has included directing or assisting in EFI’s strategic moves into the ceramics and textiles while assisting in strategic product development, working with engineering, ink and software teams to implement the correct solution for the target market.

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.

 

Rian Mabry is the Associate Director of Packaging for HelloFresh. HelloFresh is a meal-kit delivery company focusing on delivering fresh food to customer around the world. Rian came to HelloFresh to focus on driving innovation in the meal delivery industry. Through continued sustainability and food safety of packaging materials. Rian has a strong desire to see the meal-kit industry drive changes into how e-commerce packaging is perceived.

Rian is a graduate of Michigan State University School of Packaging. Since completing his education he has worked in Pharmaceuticals, Confections and Beverage industry focusing on packaging innovation and productivity.

John Morrow has extensive experience leading successful Global Business Process Improvements at Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.  This includes Packaging Artwork Systems, Omni-Channel Marketing Systems, R&D/Product Development Systems, and Quality Assurance Systems. 

Most recently, John was World-wide Director of Global Artwork Operations at Colgate-Palmolive where he led the successful implementation of Colgate’s Global Artwork Management System.  This included the global rollout of the Esko Webcenter software and resulted in a two-thirds reduction in global artwork cycle-times. 

John earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA in Marketing from Xavier University.  He retired from Colgate in early 2018 and now runs his own consulting practice for business process improvements.

Entrepreneur long involved in luxury and specialty packaging. Founded PAK 2000, Inc., 1972, a firm that became a world leader in the luxury and specialty packaging field. Co-founded Tufpak, Inc. (1976) a firm in technical films and packaging, sold 1982. Founded Prima Design, Inc. (1985) a firm in decorated and gift packaging, first entrant in high quality gift bags, sold 1990. Sold interest in PAK 2000 in 2010. Founded Inovir LLC (2011), dedicated to brand development through packaging, now joined (2018) to the world-leading luxury packaging and services firm Infinity Global, the primary supplier to the luxury goods industry. Author of several books, including "Unforgettable Packaging" with a forward by Santo Versace, a professional's guide to the creation of specialty packaging for quality brands, and "Madame Alexandra's Rules of Business," available on Amazon Kindle and as a hard copy. Speaker to luxury organizations, and consultant on branding.

Danielle Sauvé is a marketing technologist, writer and strategist for a collection of global companies owned by Danaher, including Pantone, MediaBeacon, Esko, X-Rite, AVT, Laetus and Videojet. Throughout her 16-year career, Danielle has held positions in many parts of the consumer packaging ecosystem: consumer goods manufacturer, promotional agency, brand strategy and package design firm, premedia firm and packaging management software start-up, giving her a uniquely broad perspective on simplifying the packaging value chain. Her packaging technology insights have been featured in The Dieline, FoodDive, MediaPost and Chief MarTec. Danielle earned her B.A. in English and Theater from Messiah College and now lives outside Chicago with her husband, four children, dog, fish, tortoise and bevy of musical instruments.

Robert Seay, Director of Digital Business Ventures, Georgia Pacific

• USA

Phil Stafford is Digimarc’s Sr. Supply Chain Integration Manager and has over 20 years of packaging, agency and manufacturing experience. His experience includes global branding, consumer packaging, print technologies and mobile payments. He most recently worked as a manger of Brand and Market Insights WestRock Packaging Solutions at the global packaging company WestRock and as a director of Global Accounts Brand & Retail Package Solutions at MeadWestvaco.

Jeff Travis has been in the packaging industry for over 28 years involved with both rigid and flexible packaging.  He is currently a National Accounts Technical Manager for American Packaging Corporation.  Jeff works on the corporate Solutions Team responsible for technical, product development, and packaging innovations assisting brand-owners with their next generation packaging needs.   Prior to working at American Packaging Corporation, Jeff worked at CL&D Graphics and Alcan packaging in package development and customer interface roles.  Jeff has a BS in Plastics Engineering from University of Lowell in MA and a MBA from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.

Greg Tucker graduated from the University of Southern California and started his career at Bay Cities 37 years ago as a sample maker in its Design department.  His interests led him to sales where he single-handedly grew 25% of the company’s revenue and profit, expanding Bay Cities services to value added retail packaging and POP displays.  Greg became heavily involved in both the AICC and ICPF in 1983 and later served on each as a board member.  He is also a member of the AICC Board of Directors, ICPF Board of Directors, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Packaging Advisory Board, and Cal Poly’s Packaging Consortium.  In 1995, Greg assumed the position of president at Bay Cities, became CEO in 1998 and later in 2005 took over the position of Chairman.  He was a founding member of LACORR Packaging and later went onto becoming a founding member or ENCORR. Greg currently serves as one of the three ESOP Trustees of Bay Cities. In 2014 Greg served as the Chairman of the AICC and continues to serve on that Board.  During 2014, Greg transitioned Bay Cities into a 100% employee-owned company. Greg was recently appointed to the FBA Board of Directors.  Greg continues to drive Bay Cities towards the leading designer of packaging and point-of-purchase displays serving markets throughout North America.

Greg is known for his love of the beach and all things Hawaiian. He enjoys reading, wine, skiing, volleyball, and fast cars.

John Wolf is the Global Vice President and General Manager of Strategic Fulfillment Solutions, for the Product Care division of Sealed Air. John leverages his extensive background in and R&D, Operations, Marketing and Business Management to lead the transformative growth provided by the explosive demands of e-Commerce parcel packaging.

A graduate in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University, John began his career at Sealed Air in 1996 and has held various positions throughout his tenure at the company including Development Engineer, European Supply Chain Director, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Vice President of Global General Packaging, and Global Vice President of Marketing before assuming his current role in January of 2018.

John has also been awarded seven U.S. patents for packaging solutions. As someone who has been working in the packaging industry for his entire career, John has seen first hand how the expectations of customers and consumers have changed, and the resultant complexities in fulfillment that is driving the need for new technology and innovation