Born June 3rd, 1982 in Guatemala City. Raised among different cities in Guatemala and Colombia, graduated from high school in 1999 and from college in 2003 with an industrial engineering degree and with a postgraduate degree in Quality. Married since 2008 with 2 boys (13 and 9 years) and with a 5 year dog called Scooby!
His professional life started on 2002 in Blockbuster where he learned about customer service, from 2003 to 2009 continue in telecommunications industry and glass bottle manufacturing with a focus in HR and Operations; since 2010 working for PepsiCo Beverages in Operations in which he has been responsible of different markets and since 2019 living in Mexico City as head of Operations for Mexico Beverages and a second role leading the plastics agenda for Latin America.
Professional with 15 years of solid experience in Operations Management on the beverage & packaging field. Collaborate beyond boundaries to achieve company goals to ensure delivering the right results. Expertise in strategic planning, environmental strategy, innovation execution, productivity, supply chain planning and quality.
Carlos graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He worked in industry before moving to the United Kingdom, to do his Ph.D at the University of Cambridge. During his doctoral research and subsequently as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate, he developed the basis of the Enval process to recycle plastic aluminium laminate pouches, sachets, tubes, etc.
As a result, Carlos founded Enval where he is CEO. The Company now has a commercial plant recycling laminates in the UK and is in the process of installing further units in other locations. Enval has also started to develop recycling processes for other materials, creating a link between the packaging world and the waste handling sector.
Marika Knorr is the Head of Sustainability and Communication at CCL Label since April 2020 and is dedicated to grow the “Sustainable Product Family” while driving CCL’s Sustainability roadmap. Marika holds a Master‘s Degree in Art from Cologne University and Arizona State University and started her career as a newspaper and magazine writer before moving into Corporate Communications at international companies including TÜV Rheinland, LANXESS AG and Constantia Flexibles. She has held varied and senior positions in marketing and communications and has extensive experience in our industry focusing on sustainability and communication. Marika is based in Cologne, Germany.
Rodrigo Leiva’s 30-year career in waste management began in France, and continued in Chile where he managed national waste and recovery programs across several industry sectors as a Veolia Environment executive. Rod established his consulting practice in 2010 to play an active role in in the establishment of Chile's new Environmental Producer Responsibility.
Rod has been actively involved in Chilean EPR since its introduction in 2010. He works closely with the Chilean Environmental Agency and major industry producers - initially to develop the nation's EPR Law Framework - and more recently, to advise Government and Industry on it implementation and new products to be considered
Rod's keen interest in international EPR and Product Stewardship best practice, and how these can be applied in Latin America has extended his network across the globe, where he engages with authorities and Product Stewardship organizations in the EU, Canada, Australia and USA. He is member of ISWA (International Solid Waste Association) and Chair of it Working Group Governance & Legal Issues and the coordinator of the mirror working group for Latin America focused in EPR.
Rod graduated as an Industrial Engineer from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and holds an MBA from Lleida University, Spain.
For 21 years, she has been developing cutting-edge packaging, helping
leading brands overcome significant challenges in implementing innovations.
Well-experienced in project management, bringing the balanced combination of business opportunities and technical possibilities.
At Unilever, she had the exclusive opportunity to launch new shapes and varied materials throughout Latin America with Regional, Local and Global scope with the brands: Seda, Rexona, Close-up, Dove; OMO, Lux, Knorr, Arisco and Hellmann's.
Currently, she strongly works in environmental causes, connected to the purpose of business growth, bringing reduction of the environmental impact that also contributes positively to the social sphere.
Responsible for leading the first project to implement Post Consumption Resin in cosmetic bottles in Brazil on a large scale.
Jorge is a Consultant at Euromonitor International with a focus on Home & Tech industries. Based in Santiago office, he has more than 5 years of experience in the industry.
Jorge commissions the research for Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru mainly, being Home Care and Tissue & Hygiene his main areas of specialization, providing consumer insights and local knowledge about these industries.
Jorge advises companies in their industries, not only providing them with the strategic market information necessary for decision-making, but also attending to their research needs in order to cover relevant topics for clients. Jorge is regularly quoted in key publications among the region such us La Tercera (Chile), La República (Colombia), El Comercio (Peru), America Economía (Chile), among others.
Mark has been executive director of Plastic Oceans Chile since June 2017, and Regional Director of Latin America since 2020. He oversees development, networks creation and the establishment of international contacts and education programs tailored to the Latin American market. Mark gives talks to raise issue awareness about ocean plastic pollution and the circular economy to universities, municipalities and companies, including his November 2019 participation as a panelist at the Retech conference about “circular economy against marine littering” in Berlin, Germany. Mark pushes for Chile´s transition to a Circular Economy in different worksgroups and is also a member of the board of the Chilean Plastics Pact. He works with companies, NGOs, government institutes and international embassies to generate a multisectoral collaborative network to manage this transition. Mark uses local and international examples to show how change is possible through will, collaboration and vision. Mark has been representing Plastic Oceans International at conferences in Colombia, Uruguay, South Korea, Germany and Portugal.
As a two-time President of the Community Environmental Committee of Providencia, he won a national award for best committee in 2017. He is currently serving his first term on the advisory board of the Chilean Ministry of Environment. He is also part of the Circular Economy platform of the Americas, CEPA.
Citeo is the company in charge of the Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for household packaging and for graphic & printed paper in France, working with 20 000 packers and fillers, 900 local municipalities and 300 recyclers. The annual turnover is around 850 M€ per year for both activity.
He joined the public policy affairs department of Citeo in 2018, after experiences in the high administration and advisory firm for the public sector. He works very closely with all the actors of the packaging value chain in particular on the Circular Economy Package, the european plastics strategy, the circular plastic alliance, the national pacts on plastic packaging, the new circular economy action plan within the European green deal and EPR projects around the world.
He’s also lecturer on circular economy and european affairs for the university of Paris and ESSEC - international business school.
He graduated from the University Paris Dauphine (Master in Law and Regulatory Markets) and from the College of Europe (LL.M in EU law).
Soqui Calderon, Directora Regional de Sostenibilidad para Middle Americas (Mexico, Colombia, Perú, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador y El Caribe)
+15 años de experiencia en distintos sectores como Naciones Unidas, Medios audiovisuales, Telecomunicaciones y Consumo Masivo.
+ de 8 años liderando distintas áreas en Recursos Humanos y Sostenibilidad.
Paolo Sandro Mazza Forno has more than thirty years of work experience, in Chile and Brazil, in mass consumption industries, in the food industry and he household cleaning industry.
Since January 2020 is President of ALIADA, the LATAM Cleaning Products Association http://www.aliada.org/aliada/.
He is also President of AGAD Chile, the Chilean Manufacturing of Cleaning Products Industry Association, since January 2018, as such, he represents the private sector of Chile in the Negotiation of technical obstacles of the Chapter of Cleaning Domestic Pacific Alliance.
He worked for more than 10 years in the Coca Cola system, in bottlers in Brazil and Chile, since 2012 serves as Deputy CEO Empresas Demaria S.A. (https://demaria.cl/corporativo/)
Paolo is graduate in Business Administracion, from the Adolfo Ibáñez University in Chile (1990). Later he obtained the Master in Business Administration degree from the Adolfo Ibáñez University (2002). Paolo has participated in the following academic programs: Senior Executive Leadership Program at School of Management Yale University New Haven, May 2018; CEOs ’Management Program at Kellogg School of Management Northwestern University Evaston, July 2016; The Senior HR Executive Program at the Ross School of Business The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, October 2013 and Economy, Culture and Business at Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China, October 2011.
Martin has an EMBA and an MSc in Technology and Entrepreneurship. Before joining Tembo, he co-founded two companies in Argentina in the food and beverage industry.
Martin’s love of business development drew him to his role at ITM, where he has been Area Sales Manager for Latin America. And he took the same passion to his role at Tembo Paper.
Tembo Paper is part of Tembo Group, a global, family-owned group of companies that use technology and innovation to create sustainable manufacturing solutions in the fast-moving consumer goods market.
At Tembo Paper, Martin works with a talented team who help global brands be the first to launch next generation products by combining world-class product and machine development. This unique approach means clients and partners can make a smooth transition from plastic straws to high-quality, food-safety-compliant, and environmentally-friendly paper straws.
Tembo Paper’s unique paper straw technology enables high-volume paper straw production. By working only with the best suppliers and materials, and by minimising waste, Tembo Paper ensures optimal quality while keeping the environmental footprint low.
Bio coming soon!
Nate Pajka, Sustainability Specialist, Metsӓ Board, Americas, works in tandem with the Product Safety and Sustainability team in Finland to provide a range of sustainability services to the Americas and serves as Metsä Board’s sustainability expert in the region. Based in the Norwalk, CT, office, he is responsible for providing sustainability data, information and education to help clients reduce the environmental impact of their packaging. Before joining Metsӓ, he worked for one of the largest healthcare companies in Massachusetts as well as serving as a sustainability ambassador for one of the largest utilities in New England. Nate holds an MBA in Sustainability and Social Change and an MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Clark University, Worcester, MA.
Bio coming soon!
As founder of Próxima Communication since 2005 (www.proximacomunicacion.com), Karla has developed a business vision specialized in services on environmental, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and more recently Circular Economy. She focuses on communication and awareness of environmental topics to public and private sector companies. Her experience includes the areas of: development of communication strategies of corporate spokesperson training, media relations, internal communication, public and community affairs, public-private partnerships, and crisis prevention, as well as planning strategies
Karla was recognized as one of the 25 innovators in communication by the organization The Holmes Report 2019. In addition to twice winning as Manager of the year in the Sustainability category, recognition of the Semanario El Financiero, 2018 and 2019.
Karla has a large experience in the development of strategic content and with her master's degree in User Experience Management, she has developed skills that allow her to understand in detail the processes and experience from the users when having contact with content and communication materials. In this way, she achieves a deep understanding of the most strategic way to deliver the messages to the public and obtain a greater impact on the results. That is why she will work together with the expert team on the subject of economics to carry out the pertinent analysis in a strategic way.
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Anthony has been with TerraCycle since 2012 when he joined the TerraCycle Canada team in Toronto as a Business Development Manager. Since then, he has helped TerraCycle and Loop partners work towards their sustainability goals in both the B2C and B2B space. As the EVP, Business Development for both TerraCycle and Loop, Anthony develops the company-wide sales strategy and manages TerraCycle Inc.’s 60+ person global sales. Anthony has 15+ years of business development experience and prior to joining TerraCycle he worked in Toronto, Dijon, Budapest, and Vienna for some of the world’s largest professional service firms and financial institutions.
A mechanical engineer with more than 30 years of experience working with multinational companies in the packaging space, Joaquim Ventura Rodrigues is a packaging sales development manager for Latin America with Electronics For Imaging.
He joined EFI in 2021 from Miraclon (formerly Kodak Packaging), where he served as President of Miraclon’s Mexico operations. Prior to then, Ventura spent 9 years in several sales and management roles with Kodak Mexico. His work building sales operations helped make Latin America one of Kodak’s top three regions for packaging and, in 2017, he was named Kodak’s Latin America Packaging Sales Director. Before Kodak, Ventura worked for 14 years in packaging business management and sales roles with Dupont in Mexico. He began his packaging career with Smurfit Carton de Venezuela, where he worked as a Plant Manager.
Ventura is a Six Sigma Green Belt, and is based in Mexico City. He has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela, and an MBA in Managerial Engineering from Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas.
Elizabeth is the global strategic marketing manager for the rigid packaging segment at H.B. Fuller. With a passion and focus on sustainable packaging solutions, new packaging design and e-commerce and extensive knowledge of the packaging industry and B2B marketing experience, Elizabeth acts as a connection between market and technology, customers and research and development.
Juli Lassow is an accomplished retail executive with 20 years of experience in the disciplines of sourcing, merchandising, inventory planning, and analytics. As the founder and principal of JHL Solutions, Juli helps businesses navigate the complex world of global retail sourcing and private label product development, by supporting retailers and suppliers in finding, developing products, and better negotiating with each other. Her particular passion is supporting efforts of retailers and their partners in becoming more sustainable and better stewards of the earth. Before establishing her business, Juli held several progressive leadership roles at Target Corporation.
