Plastics Industry Appointments
Thursday 1 September
Company: PACCOR
Kilian Braunsdorf has been appointed CEO of PACCOR, a leading player in the global plastic packaging industry.
Braunsdorf succeeds Andreas Schuette, who steps down from his role with today’s completion of the acquisition of PACCOR by the Faerch Group. Under the new ownership, PACCOR will accelerate the transition towards circular packaging and provide its customers with new and innovative packaging solutions.
Braunsdorf joined PACCOR in July 2020 as a Member of the Executive Board and has since served as CFO. Faerch Group CEO Lars Gade Hansen said: “Kilian is a strong leader with an impressive in-depth understanding of the market and the PACCOR organisation. He has a very clear view on how to develop the company going forward."
Hansen added his gratitude for the strong leadership of Schuette, who served as CEO since 2019.
Tuesday 30 August
Company: Davis Standard
Davis-Standard has named Raje Dwaraka as Chief Financial Officer, in which role Dwaraka will lead Davis-Standard’s finance team and partner with business unit leaders.
CEO Giovanni Spitale said: "Raje is a talented financial leader, and we are thrilled to have her as part of our executive leadership team. She brings a proven track record of leading global teams, delivering sound financial strategy, and close partnership with business leadership – all of which will be key to continuing the growth trajectory that we are on."
Friday 12 August
Company: ICS Cool Energy
Three new appointments have been made at ICS Cool Energy as part of the company’s growth strategy. The new team will strengthen hire operations in the UK, which includes process cooling, process heating, temperature control and comfort cooling solutions.
- Sean McDevitt joins as Senior Sales Engineer – South West & South Wales.
- Carl Brain joins as Project Manager – Hire Services.
- Michaela Reeves joins as Hire Logistics Deployer.
Tuesday 2 August
Company: KM Packaging
KM Packaging has appointed Frances Busby in the role of Managing Director. Former MD Charles Smithson said: "Frances and KM have shared values of trust, ownership, passion, and innovation. And during her very successful career, Frances has accumulated immense experience in highly customer-focused businesses.”
Busby said: "I am impressed with everyone I have met in the company and I’m very excited to be given the opportunity to lead the KM team into the future."
Busby took up her position with KM Packaging on 11 July. Her appointment follows KM's announcement in April that it had become an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
Friday 29 July
Company: KraussMaffei
Klaus Jell will take over the global management of KraussMaffei's Digital & Service Solutions (DSS) division as Executive Vice President on 1 August. The 56-year-old engineer will join KraussMaffei’s Executive Committee, replacing Nadine Despineux who will leave the company at her own request on 31 July.
Having studied precision engineering in Munich, Jell began his career at Netstal, where he was to become Managing Director of Netstal Deutschland in 2005. In 2011, Jell moved on to join KraussMaffei where he took over as Managing Director of KraussMaffei do Brasil. He became Managing Director for KraussMaffei Mexico in 2017 and shortly thereafter gained overall responsibility for KraussMaffei’s activities in Latin America. Jell will continue to manage KraussMaffei's Latin American business.
CEO Dr Michael Ruf said: “I am very pleased that we have been able to bring Klaus Jell on board for this strategically important position of Executive Vice President of the Digital & Service Solutions Division. Klaus has played a key role in shaping the fortunes of KraussMaffei in responsible positions in recent years."
Friday 22 July
Company: Davis-Standard
Davis-Standard has appointed Christian Eidt as Chief Information Officer. Eidt will be an integral part of Davis-Standard’s senior management team, charged with transforming IT capabilities as the company moves toward an increasingly digital and data-enabled industrial environment. He will be responsible for IT strategy, corporate systems, data and analytics, and cyber security.
Eidt joins from FactSet Research Systems, a leader in financial data and software, where he was SVP of strategic planning and business transformation with a focus on product configuration, pricing, quoting, customer sales contract management, and new reporting capabilities. He also has 25 years of experience in the media and advertising industry, serving in multiple finance and technology roles within CBS Corporation and as CIO at OUTFRONT Media. Eidt is a graduate of the Boston College Carroll School of Management.
CEO Giovanni Spitale said: “Chris brings a high level of strategic IT leadership and digital transformation expertise to our team. We look forward to him directing this new area of focus as we take advantage of systems and technology platforms as powerful business enablers.”
Tuesday 14 June
Company: Freudenberg Medical
Freudenberg Medical has announced the appointment of Dr Mark Ostwald as CEO, having previously served as Chief Technology Officer of Freudenberg Medical and is part of the Management Board.
Ostwald joined Freudenberg Medical in 2009 and has held a number of leadership roles including President of Europe and head of Minimally Invasive Solutions, Vice President and General Manager of the Silicones Business Unit in California, and he helped establish the Kaiserslautern, Germany operation as Managing Director of Freudenberg Medical Europe.
Ostwald follows Dr Max Kley who has been appointed CEO of a newly established Freudenberg business group for the fast-growing battery and fuel cell market.
Kley said: "Mark is the ideal candidate to lead Freudenberg Medical into the next phase of rapid growth and global expansion. His strong focus on customer needs, his experience in the medical device industry and his international background ensure that Freudenberg Medical will continue to be a driving force for innovation and quality.”
Ostwald added: “Freudenberg Medical is a great company with innovation at its core. Working with our talented team we will continue to push the envelope with new products and innovative technology to advance healthcare manufacturing and drive value for our customers.”
Wednesday 1 June
Company: United Caps
The Luxembourg-based manufacturer of caps and closures has appointed Vincent Chauvier as Chief Financial Officer, a promotion from his previous role as Finance Director.
Chauvier has an extensive track record in the financial field across a variety of companies and industries. He started his career with accounting firm KPMG working his way up to Audit Engagement Manager. Subsequently, Chauvier had financial management roles with a variety of companies, including his most recent role as Vice President of Finance & Administration for Ion Beam Applications S.A. where he was the Regional CFO and also oversaw legal, sales and marketing operations.
He joined United Caps in November 2020 as Finance Director. In his new role, Chauvier will sit on the Executive Committee as a permanent member and report to CEO Benoit Henckes.
“We are delighted to have someone of Vincent’s calibre onboard,” Henckes said. “Since he joined us in 2020, he has proven to be a good leader and an exceptional financial manager with a terrific background across many different financially oriented disciplines. Vincent will play an important role in the CFO position as UNITED CAPS transforms into a global organisation."
Wednesday 25 May
Company: Graham Engineering
Graham Engineering has announced the appointment of Jason DiChristofaro as Strategic Market Manager – Extrusion & Extrusion Systems. In this role, DiChristofaro has responsibility for overseeing growth in polymer extrusion process solutions.
DiChristofaro joined Graham’s American Kuhne brand in 2014 and was named a Sales Engineering Manager for Graham in 2016. Earlier in his career, he held various sales, engineering and design positions with such companies as Parkinson Technologies Inc., Mahr Federal, Inc., and AstroNova, Inc.
Michael Duff, Vice President, Sales and Service, said: "DiChristofaro has played a critical role in managing our product offerings and creating the systems that support commercial and technical excellence. His deep understanding of our products and markets makes him the ideal person to oversee the core segment of our business."
Friday 20 May
Organisation: European Plastics Converters (EuPC)
The General Assembly of European Plastics Converters convened for the first time in two years to appoint Benoît Hennaut, CEO of Herige Group, as the new EuPC President for the period 2022-2024, replacing Renato Zelcher after four years.
More than 150 attendees convened in Brussels. The two-day event showcased the industry’s willingness to continue the value chain efforts on circularity in order to demonstrate the benefits of plastics products to society.
Hennaut said: "Ahead of us are years of opportunities and challenges towards the circularity of our plastics industry in Europe. Only through innovation and carbon savings in our industry will we continue to lead this transformation needed”.
Organisation: Plastics Europe
Marco ten Bruggencate, Commercial Vice President for Packaging and Specialty Plastics EMEA at Dow, will succeed Covestro CEO Dr Markus Steilemann as Plastics Europe President, effective immediately.
In this new role, Marco ten Bruggencate will continue to drive Plastics Europe’s and its members’ ambitious sustainability agenda in line with the European Union’s Green Deal and climate-neutrality goals.
Thursday 19 May
Company: Greiner Packaging (UK & Ireland)
Rachel Sheldon has been promoted to Sustainability and Innovation Manager. She will be working alongside numerous stakeholders in GPUK and along the value chain, including Plastic Pact and ReCoup, the official UK-based auditor for rigid plastic packaging on behalf of Recyclass.
Sheldon believes her customer-facing experience in a market development role will help deliver the sustainable and innovative packaging products that customers and industry players demand: "An essential element of my new role will be to ensure we are delivering the most sustainable solutions and properly explaining their benefits and advantages. I will be urgently looking to gain more and better data around CO2 reduction through lifecycle assessments of all our products."
Sheldon has already invited visitors to the GPUK plant in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, to witness first-hand the company's ongoing sustainability achievements, as well as the investments made that will help drive circularity and recyclability in plastic packaging products.
Monday 16 May
Organisation: TEPPFA
TEPPFA's General Assembly, held in Brussels on 12 May, has unanimously appointed Sebastian Bondestam as President. Bondestam began his career at TetraPak, where he held various management functions worldwide. In 2007, he decided to join the Uponor Group, a leader in sustainable water systems and indoor climate, to become member of the Uponor Executive Committee. In 2013 he was named President of the Uponor Infra-division that offers infrastructure plastic piping solutions worldwide. He joined the TEPPFA Executive Committee in October 2021.
Bondestam, who replaces outgoing president Tom Van Gyseghem, said: "[P]lastic pipes for building and infrastructure are recognised as a durable, sustainable, and high-performance solution for critical infrastructure and essential services to society ... In 2021, TEPPFA embarked on a new journey focusing on sustainability and launched a new strategy. I am excited to use my industry experience to support TEPPFA members and its management in delivering on this new strategy.”
Wednesday 13 April
Company: Barkley Plastics
UK-based plastic injection moulding and toolmaking specialist Barkley Plastics has appointed a new senior management team to help it target diversification and international opportunities.
Matt Harwood has become Managing Director, taking over from his father Mark.
“My Dad has been with the business since the late 70s and MD for the past 14 years," Harwood said, "so we all felt the time was right for him to move upstairs and let a new management team build on the excellent platform he has built.”
Barkley Plastics, a founding member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, has one of the largest toolmaking facilities in the UK, producing high-precision tools capable of delivering 50 million mouldings for distribution domestically and throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
Harwood will be joined by Operations Director Steve Smith. The two are now focusing on maximising a £120,000 investment in automation and increasing its involvement in medical, construction and white goods.
Thursday 14 April
Company: EXEL Composites
Exel Composites has appointed Roberto Oppio as Head of Sales for South and West Europe and India, the Middle East and Africa (IMEA) to help implement the company’s growth strategy in the region.
With nearly 30 years' experience in business development, sales and marketing for injection moulding and composite materials, Oppio will lead a team tasked with opening new markets, bolstering regional sales, and advising on composite solutions for specific requirements.
“Industry’s rising demand for materials that will help save on resources," Oppio said, "are longer lasting and boast more mechanical benefits in a single solution is ever-increasing. Therefore, my role at Exel will be to work closely with these companies to continue providing high-quality solutions, as well as reaching out to new markets and expanding Exel’s market share.”
Starting his career in 1997 as a chemical engineering graduate, Oppio worked as an injection moulding process engineer before moving into a technical manager role for a Chinese company developing injection moulding machines.