The 2025 program is here! This year's event will feature programs from The Paper and Packaging Board, H.B. Fuller, Dow Chemical, Ocean Conservancy, Scrapp, Motogo, ISTA, EFI and more!
Join the mailing list to stay up-to-date on the latest agenda announcements or click the date buttons below to view the break down of each day.
John Sherwin is a Smithers Information Project Director located in North America.
John has over thirty years of experience delivering market research in a variety of settings. Before joining Smithers in 2024 he spent six years with Ernst & Young’s Center for Business Knowledge, and 19 years at the Freedonia Group as a manager and a director of their Custom Research group. He has experience in market forecasting, consumer research, value-chain, and competitor analysis. John has worked on a broad range of industries with a focus on packaging, chemicals, construction materials and other industrial markets.
In his current role, John helps clients gather a deep understanding of their business goals. This is accomplished by developing in-depth research programs to provide visibility into markets and niches, gather insights, and provide an unbiased view of the key market challenges. These efforts allow our clients to evaluate their strategic plans and make decisions based upon credible data and analysis, supported by robust research conclusions and recommendations.
John holds a Bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and an MBA from Cleveland State University.
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.
Shoshana Micon is the Manager of Recycling and Packaging Sustainability for the American Forest & Paper Association. At AF&PA, she focuses on Extended Producer Responsibility
(EPR) implementation and recovered fiber issues. She currently represents AF&PA as a member of the Minnesota EPR Advisory Board. She has spent the past seven years focusing on the circular economy and sustainable materials
management and has worked on these issues at the Department of Energy, White House Council of Environmental Quality, Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, and the City of San Francisco Department of the Environment. She has a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Environment.
Mikey is the Co-Founder & COO of Scrapp, a waste technology and data platform on a mission to simplify waste management infrastructure to engage consumers, brands, and municipalities through accessible technology and data analytics. Scrapp's flagship products are their mobile app and separation stations that allow people to receive product, packaging, and location-specific recycling guidance in real time, all via a retail barcode scan (a.k.a GTIN). Mikey has studied over 27,000 municipal recycling programs across the USA, UK and Canada to understand strengths in recycling markets as well as the state of municipal solid waste collection. Mikey has studied in 3 different countries and has a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Sustainability from the University of New Hampshire.
Chantal believes that leveraging the right technology at the right time has the power to solve problems in magical ways. As a software engineer, she has been able to bring these solutions to life building tools and experiences.
Today, she applies these principles as the CTO and Co-founder of LimeLoop, developing smart sustainable packaging and the digital platform to support them
In those rare moments, when she steps away from the computer, you can usually find her with her head down in the arts & craft hobby of the month or testing out new recipes in the kitchen.
At Motogo Systems, David Ruth is leading his startup team in creating significant value for shippers, couriers, and especially customers by applying smart packaging technologies to the challenges of last-mile delivery of goods.
At IBM, David had the opportunity to spearhead many impactful solutions and systems which have been used by governments, academia, and corporations all over the world. These included advancing the state of the art in the areas of VLSI chip design & validation, computer systems, and leading-edge technical initiatives.
As a Senior Campaigner for Canopy’s Pack4Good campaign, Joshua engages with the world's largest fibre-based packaging producers to advance Canopy’s efforts to scale up designs, systems, and technologies that allow companies to shift away from forest fibres and toward more sustainable, forest-friendly alternatives.
Joshua has worked for more than two decades as an advocate in the field of conservation and social justice, working with organizations such as the American Lands Alliance and Stand.earth. Joshua spent 18 years fostering cooperation and collaboration as Director of the Environmental Paper Network (EPN), an influential global network of more than 200 not-for-profit organizations with a collective vision to accelerate transformation of the pulp and paper industry. While there, he was also editor of the EPN’s State of the Paper Industry Reports.
With this background, Joshua has extensive experience with paper and packaging supply chains, impacts on local communities, life-cycle assessment, responsible forestry certifications, international voluntary product standards and corporate responsibility.
At ISTA, Thompson leads program development for member and non-member audiences worldwide. He also manages the go-to-market strategy and tactical execution of identified strategic programs to further penetrate key global regions.
Before ISTA, Thompson spent 29 years with Sealed Air Corporation, where he served in a variety of leadership roles, including as executive director of packaging technology and most recently as executive director of packaging design & testing centers in the Americas.
His experience ranges from packaging design engineering, to package and packaging materials testing, to developing educational programs around design, testing, marketing and more.
Kerry Sanders is the VP Market Development for EFI and focuses on driving awareness and adoption of EFI digital printing solutions for corrugated packaging in the eCommerce customer segment. Kerry's unique perspectives are informed by his executive experience in business development, operations, and marketing for Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining EFI, Kerry served as Executive Vice President, Global Business Development at Craft Worldwide, an Interpublic Group (IPG) agency. Prior to Craft, Kerry held key leadership roles in sales and marketing at HP and Xerox, focusing on global new product introductions for digital transformations.
Mike is a leading expert in transformational logistics platforms from single-use to circularity, reducing the mountains of plastics and corrugated cardboard entering our waste stream while saving millions in packaging expenses. He received his MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Over the last 20+ years he worked at the intersection of supply chain and sustainability, including directing the Sierra Club's political operations in 20 states and building e-waste programs for companies such as Verizon, Walmart and Best Buy as the Sales and Marketing Vice President for ReCellular.
Arunima Saxena is a Senior Research Specialist at the Dow Chemical Company. At Dow, she leads material design and commercialization of polyethylene resins in flexible packaging. Arunima also leads application development in protective and e-commerce packaging. Her extensive research background in materials science has been instrumental in her ongoing journey of finding sustainable solutions in e-commerce packaging. Arunima earned her Doctorate and Master’s in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from S.V. National Institute of Technology, India. Arunima is passionate about science, technology and creating opportunities for people in STEM. She is active in the Society of Women’s Engineers, as well as at Dow-sponsored STEM events. In her free time, she enjoys swimming and camping with her dog.
Eva Caspary is a Sustainable Packaging Specialist at Pregis. She partners with customers to align their packaging strategies with sustainability goals, offering analysis and insights into the financial and environmental implications of their choices. Eva also spearheads a comprehensive sustainability training program, fostering knowledge and innovation among colleagues, partners, and the broader packaging community to drive impactful change in the industry. She holds a BS in Process Engineering from Mannheim University and PhD in chemical engineering from Louisiana State University.
