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Thiru Viswanathan is a seasoned professional in the CPG industry, specializing in advanced analytics, innovation, R&D, and commercialization. Currently serving as the data science lead for portfolio, innovation, and R&D analytics at Mars Wrigley, Thiru leverages his expertise to develop cutting-edge AI/ML solutions in voice of the consumer, forecasting, profitability optimization, and demand transference. He also spearheads portfolio optimization and innovation/R&D transformation strategies. With a Masters in Biological Engineering from the University of Georgia and an MBA in Business Analytics from the University of Nebraska Lincoln, Thiru is an accomplished leader with diverse experience in foundational science research, operations management, and product development, both within and outside of Mars. Thiru's approach is rooted in empathizing with stakeholders to uncover new growth opportunities and deliver sustainable value to Mars and its consumers.
Carol Van Den Hende is a strategy, marketing and digital executive for Mars Incorporated, a $45B global consumer products and services company with 140K+ Associates. As a purpose-driven leader, she’s served on nonprofit Boards, launched new innovations, inspired teams, contributed to sustainability, and currently governs Mars $832M global digital transformation. She brings decades of experience in Corporate Strategy, Brand Marketing, Digital Transformation, Digital for Sustainability, Market Research, Innovation, Trends & Foresight. She’s also an award-winning author, speaker, and Climate Reality Leader who’s seeking to contribute as a Non-Executive Director within a values-led organization.
Jessie Schwartz is a Senior Manager of Strategy and Designed For Life Philosophy at Lovesac, one of the fastest growing furniture brands in the US. The Designed For Life (DFL) product design framework is dedicated to creating better products that are more circular and more consumer and environmentally friendly. The framework covers our products and packaging, but also influences the way we design our showroom, e-commerce experience, logistics and operations. She leads strategic change management projects for the organization and contributes to the strategic road map to further the circular vision. She is passionate about sustainability and would love to exchange favorite book titles on that or other business topics with you. She has been with Lovesac for 6 years, before that she was a management consultant at Accenture.
Ryan is the Manager of Packaging Engineer at Lovevery. In this role, he has been helping the company reduce carbon output across its supply chain by implementing more sustainable packaging design practices. Before Lovevery, Ryan was a packaging design engineer at Igloo, where he helped redefine Igloo’s approach to packaging design for their entire line of hydration products, including the Cool Gear brand. Ryan has a Master’s degree in Design Management and a Bachelor’s in Industrial Design.
I’ve been in this industry for 2 and ½ decades! And have been focused on sustainable packaging and helping companies be more sustainable with their packaging. Working in a Weyerhaeuser corrugated production facility to pay my way through college helped me understand how corrugated is made and how it can be more efficient and sustainable. I’m married to an amazing supportive wife and we are so happy to have two wonderful kids. As the host of Sustainable Packaging Podcast I’ve learned so much about new sustainable products that are coming out to the market soon and I’ve seen how urgent this issue of change is for our environment. Join us in this movement towards sustainable packaging.
As a business development manager, Abbey works to create and strengthen TerraCycle's strategic relationships across the CPG industry. TerraCycle is an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, creating and operating first-of-their-kind platforms in recycling, recycled materials, and reuse. Across 21 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to rethink waste and develop practical solutions for today’s complex waste challenges. Loop is one of TerraCycle’s more innovative lines of business, which enables consumers to purchase products in reusable packaging. Abbey has spent the last 2 years working on Loop’s business development team, and aims to normalize reusable packaging for the everyday consumer.
Bio coming soon!
Brent Lindberg is annoying, and he knows it. With a curiosity that rivals George, he has a habit of relentlessly asking questions like a 5-year-old. And anyone who knows him can tell you he has an obnoxious appetite for the unexpected. But somehow these odd traits create a perfect storm for real innovation. This has become the culture of Fuseneo, the packaging innovation team he formed over a decade ago. Together they help brands find unexpected opportunities in packaging by combining daring creativity with serious expertise.
Graduate of the University of Southern California. Started as a sample maker at Bay Cities while attending college. Became a Salesperson and rose to the President’s position in 1995. Became CEO shortly thereafter and named Chairman in 2002. Served as Chairman of the Association of Independent Corrugated Convertors in 2014/2015. Serves as Board of Director member of the AICC, International Corrugated Packaging Foundation, and Fiber Box Association. Advisory Board member of California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo CA. Member of Vistage International.
Jie Yan is Sr. Manager in PepsiCo Global R&D located in Valhalla, New York. She leads packaging innovation of PepsiCo Beverage North America (PBNA) ecommerce platform as well as commercialization of leading CSD brands, including Mountain Dew, KickStart, and GameFuel. Jie is also responsible for developing new packaging platforms in PBNA beverage business unit.
Jie Joined PepsiCo in 2004 and held roles across multiple R&D functions, including Sensory & Consumer Research, Analytical Science & Brand Sustainability and PepsiCo Advance Research, where she has advanced the packaging agenda base on renewable material.
Jie holds two Masters Degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Statistics from Rochester Institute of Technology, a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China. She is also a PMI Certified Project Management Professional.
Greg is a graduate of the School of Packaging at Michigan State University. He started his career as a Packaging Engineer working his way into a Product Development Manager in the late 90’s where he led a team of designers and engineers. During this time the team developed and launched hundreds of new containers and closures in collaboration with CPG’s.
Greg joined Amcor Rigid Packaging in 2005 and has held a series of Sales and Marketing roles leading to his current position as Vice President of Marketing and Strategy. Throughout his career he has focused on the collaboration between design, research/development and operations to commercialize innovative packages that improve product performance, protection and delivery across all consumer product categories.
