Thanks Smithers Asia team for organizing such a successful virtual conference on sustainability in packaging, a critical issue that will continue post-COVID for the years to come. The online platform was convenient for presentation collaboration, and even networking, but hope to meet everyone in person next year! - Sr. Manager/Director, Asia Pacific Market Development, Consumer Packaging, WestRock
Samantha is responsible for managing the sustainabilty packaging portfolio in APAC for HAVI. HAVI is a global company focused on innovating, optimizing and managing the supply chains of leading brands.
In parallel, Samantha sits on the Packaging Partnership Program in Singapore through her role as Deputy Sector Group Leader to support the industry transition towards the nationwide EPR by 2025.
Samantha currently holds a master degree in environmental management, and has worked across a breath of sustainability industries ranging from FMCG, NGOs and consulting.
Dr Casper Durandt was a founder member of numerous Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Companies, Chairman of the PET recycling company PETCO, founder member of the Glass Recycling Company and MetPac-SA. He has a PhD in Industrial Engineering focused on coupled manufacturing efficiency improvement. He has an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch, a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Pretoria University and is a qualified Professional Engineer with the International Engineering Council.
Casper is an accomplished international speaker, has a passion for the environment and is a technical expert in the field of beverage production, supply chain, environmental issues and equipment maintenance.
Possessing 13 years of professional experience in marketing and business development in the plastic manufacturing industry and waste management, Estelle has her footprint covering both Europe and Asia with a particular focus in plastic recycling and circular economy.
Since joining Veolia, Estelle has been involved in project development of various types of waste management in Asia, including hazardous waste, battery recycling, WEEE recycling.
In the last 2 years, she has focused on boosting the Group's plastic recycling initiatives, including the Greenfield rPET plant in Indonesia, Merchant & Acquisition projects in Japan, Korea and China.
In parallel, she has been actively involved in developing new projects in conjunction with different international brands/key accounts as well as local NGOs/start-ups in the domain of plastic recycling, to name a few, projects such as sustainable collection model pilot, collection pilot to increase traceability of plastic waste in which the brand owners most look upon, and etc.
With her expertise in the plastic recycling industry, she was seconded to the Alliance to End Plastic Waste Association (AEPW) for collection & sorting projects screening and development.
Duan Yanjian holds a master’s degree in packaging engineering, graduated from Jiangnan University. Now he’s responsible for logistics and packaging technique in JD Logistics. In 2017, he has launched “Green Stream Initiative” with several brands which aims to promote green and sustainable development of the end-to-end supply chain (B2B2C) along with upstream and downstream enterprises.
Besides, he has founded green corrugated packaging alliance and e-commerce packaging standard alliance in order to promote e-commerce packaging standard and industrial certification, also remodel supply chain packaging of e-commerce.
He has been involved in the drafting and revising of dozens of national/industry packaging standards.
Grace Kim is a head of global packaging R&D at CJ CheilJedang, a number one food company in Korea, where she focus es most of her time developing packaging professionals, identifying new strategic initiatives and delivering packaging solutions through breakthrough packaging innovation . She has more than 20 years of packaging industry experiences from CPG, Pharmaceutical and Chemical Companies mostly in US She relocated to Korea, her native country, with her family in 2019 to pursue her career in people management and to gain global experiences. Most recently, she was a principle engineer at AbbVie, Inc., a pharmaceutical company located in North Chicago, IL , where she successfully led multiple medical device packaging programs . Previously, she worked
at Kraft Foods, Inc. located in Glenview, IL as a strategic packaging research engineer and at DuPont in Parkersburg, WV as a R&D Process Engineer . Grace received MS degree in mechanical engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and BS degree in chemical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology.
Bio to follow shortly
Veolia Resourcer since 2012 mainly focused on recycling activities (industrial and municipal waste).
General manager of rPET factory greenfield project in Indonesia (East Java - Pasuruan)
Xavier is from France and started to work and live in Indonesia more than 2 years ago.
A packaging & supply chain business leader with 20+ years of experience working across Packaging Innovation, Packaging Sustainability, Packaging Engineering, Procurement & Manufacturing gained from a variety of consumer product groups (QSR – Food service, FMCG – Food & Personal Care, Consumer Healthcare & Nutrition).
Experienced working across markets & regions with regional and global packaging category & team management.
Bio to follow shortly
Dr Len Humphreys is a serial entrepreneur and veteran of the science, technology and clean energy industries. Len has pioneered low-carbon solutions, renewable energy and technology in Australia and internationally in senior leadership positions for over 35 years. He is the Co-Founder of Licella Holdings, global leaders in Hydrothermal Liquefaction, and was instrumental in the conception and development of Licella’s pioneering Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR™) technology. He is the inventor of several patents around the Cat-HTR™ process and has been the Company’s CEO since it was formed in 2007.
In 2015 Len Co-Founded Gelion Technologies, a battery technology start-up, where he is currently a Director. Len is also a Director of iQ Renew, an innovative Australian recycling company.
Len holds a PhD in Chemistry from Durham University (UK), is a Chartered Chemist and a is Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK).
Previously Len was a Director and Managing Director of several renewable energy companies including Novera Energy, a renewable energy company that was listed on the AIM in the UK and the ASX listed company IBA Health (now I-Soft), a healthcare IT software provider.
PhD in Ecology, graduated from Beijing Normal University. She conducted researches agricultural ecology for 10 years including 7 years international working experience in universities, institute and international centers located in the Netherlands, Israel, Japan and Kenya, and was the associate professor of Beijing Normal University. She worked in International Network for Bamboo and Rattan as the senior programme manager in 2007, and worked in UNEP China Office as the national officer from 2008-2018, and is the expert on sustainable development.
She worked at China Plastics Reuse and Recycling Association (CPRRA) in Oct. 2018, and took CPRRA as the first China Sectoral Association to join Global Commitment raised by Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UNEP of “ New Plastics Economy” in late 2018. She also serves the external expert of EU-China Environmental Policy and Circular Economy Dialogue, ADB, World Bank, WWF International Consultant on Plastics projects. She was invited by China Delegation to WTO to attend first WTO event on plastic pollution, she was invited by EU to attend EU Circular Economy Conference and World Circular Economy Conference. She also the author of newspaper and magazine articles on Plastics, and was interviewed by media and CGTN. She is the leading figure in plastic recycling.
She joins Green Inclusive Internet Technology as a start-up company since 2020 as the president to setup individual low carbon behavior platform.
As the Founder / CEO of Plastics For Change, Andrew's role is to make it easy for brands and manufacturers to transition from virgin to recycled plastic. Plastics For Change has developed a marketplace platform that connects waste-pickers to global markets and ensures a consistent supply of high quality recycled plastic for brands. This initiative is about creating better livelihoods for the urban poor while keeping plastic out of the ocean. This year Plastics For Change launched the first and currently the only fair trade recycled plastic certified by the World Fair Trade Organization. Andrew has catalyzed several global brands and manufacturers to replace the use of virgin plastic with fair trade recycled plastic, thereby immediately improving the social and environmental impact of their products. In 2018, Andrew was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list of innovators and disruptors who are reshaping their industries and changing Asia for the better.
