RACE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director of AVI Global Plast Private Limited
Akhilesh is an MBA from Mumbai University and an INSEAD alum.
Akhilesh has over 12 years of experience on Recycled plastic in packaging in Circular Economy enhanced through digital traceability. With extensive experience through working with training of citizens, collection from local communities in slums and the complete supplying in Plastic Waste Management, he has worked whole ecosystem in Circular Economy.
A environment and ocean lover, an entrepreneur, he has been working along side with Champion of the Earth recipient Afroz Shah on ground action in Ocean Bound Plastic, Forest based plastic and from other eco sensitive zones.
Akhilesh is the Managing Director of AVI Global Plast Private Limited, India which is a leading disruptor in recycled rPET Packaging for packaging of Consumer goods, Food, fruits and vegetables, garments and Industrial goods. Akhilesh is a Director with Date With Ocean Foundation which is taking ground action on reducing marine litter and behaviour change of citizens.
Akhilesh is also the former chairman of the Environment committee at the All India Plastic Manufacturers Association (AIPMA) since 2013 through 2018.
Amit has over 27 years of experience in the flexible packaging industry. He founded SBP along with his father and currently, as Managing Director, overseas R&D and new product development. His experience is spread across leading various functions such as operations, finance, business development, R&D. Over the last three decades, he has guided SBP towards establishing it as one of the leading packaging companies of India with highest market share in the hygiene industry.
Today, SBP is the largest poly bag manufacturer in India and has the widest product offerings in the food and hygiene space. Under his leadership, SBP has established itself as a packaging company dedicated towards providing innovative sustainable packaging solutions. The company's client base constitutes of leading MNC firms across India and abroad. The company has won numerous awards for its innovation and printing quality in various national and international forums.
Amit has been a strong advocate of developing recyclable solutions in the packaging space and has been instrumental in building the company values around this noble cause. He has been an active speaker on this topic and has won various awards for his contribution in this space.
Amit is a commerce graduate and has done Masters in Business Administration.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice President - Packaging & Purchase
Counted amongst the most networked packaging professionals of India as well as Globe, Amit is one of the most respected professional in the region, winner of prestigious India Star Award 2010, 2012, 2017 and world star award 2011 presented by World packaging organization.
Amit believes that the key to future is sustainability and innovation to make packaging a more sustainable, inevitable evil.
Job Titles:
- Head - Packaging Development
Amit Saurkar is a packaging professional and an Alumnus of Indian Institute of Packaging with 12 years of experience in packaging innovation & engineering from a variety of consumer product groups (Foods, Personal Care, healthcare & Nutrition).
Amit Saurkar Heads Packaging Development in MTR Foods Private Limited. Currently he handles Packaging Innovation, Sustainability Initiatives, Functional innovation and futuristic innovation, Packaging cost optimisation, Process simplification, risk mitigation, and people capability development.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder & CEO at PolyCycl
Amit Tandon is founder & CEO at PolyCycl - a circular economy company that has developed a differentiated, patented technology for converting waste plastics to high-value petroleum fuels and petrochemical feedstock.
Working with a committed R&D team, Mr. Tandon has spearheaded the design and construction of a fully-continuous depolymerization process that enables chemical recycling of landfill-bound waste plastics to high value fuels. The continuous process architecture unlocks significant economic efficiencies, enabling a capEx and OpEx reduction of up to 50% vis-à-vis first generation batch variants.
Mr. Tandon is the author of 5 international patents in the plastic to fuel space and has over 10 years of experience with the sector. He has spearheaded design and implementation of over 600 disparate trials at PolyCycl, across 4 generations of technology development.
A speaker at various conferences related to circular economy and sustainability, Mr. Tandon has presented at several forums including National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Denver), SxSw Eco (Austin), Clean Energy Forum (Spain), Cleantech Open (San Jose), Cleantech Forum (SF), Asia Pacific Energy Conference (Manila).
Job Titles:
- Doctoral Student, EGADE Business School / Project Leader, Sarape Social
Andrea Cantú is a doctoral student at EGADE Business School and is currently the project leader of an initiative focused on sustainable cities at Sarape Social.
She is also currently part of the SWIT Research Center, where she does research and consultancy work on sustainability, plastics, and circular economy.
Anirudha completed his MBA from ISB Hyderabad in 2017 and holds a B.Sc in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
With an experience of more than 10 years as a successful entrepreneur, Anirudha was first introduced to the themes of sustainability and environmental consciousness in 2010 when he was managing agri-plantation companies based out of Assam and West Bengal. He spent about 5 years leading the sustainability efforts at these plantations (from 2010-2015) and worked with various government agencies, NGOs and think-tanks to drive cutting-edge sustainability solutions. Anirudha has also worked with Morgan Stanley in New York and with Ernst & Young in India and has collaborated with leading corporates to structure financial products in debt and equity. Anirudha is currently full-time with Recykal - leveraging digital technology to disrupt the existing waste & recyclables space.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Co - Founder
- Co - Founder and CEO of Eleven Radius
Asheen is the co-founder and CEO of Eleven Radius, a membership organization dedicated to co-creating the circular economy with dynamic fashion brands and companies.
Ashish Jain is the Founder Director of Indian Pollution Control Association, a national level NGO. He also Director of Recmech Enviro Pvt. Ltd.
He is also member of few reputed organizations and appointed as the expert member in the national committee constituted by Central Pollution Control Board for improving the Solid Waste and Plastic Waste Management Rules and Co-author of Edit Book "Urban Environmental Crisis in India: New Initiative in Waste Management and Waste Water" published by Cambridge Publishing Scholar, UK. He has more than 18 years of professional experience in the field of Solid Waste Management, Air Pollution and Environment Education and published various research papers and articles on these subjects. .
He is pioneer in conceiving and execution of EPR action plan for plastic waste management at pan India. His expertise lies in execution and planning of solid waste management project for town, cities, campus, industries, corporate, and institutes with an articulated environmental emphasis
His professional work encompasses introduction of new technologies related to waste minimization, community engagement, promotion of recycling, and explore sustainable solutions for healthy society.
Mr. Jain holds a Post graduation degree in Environment Management and was research Scholar at IIT Delhi.
Job Titles:
- Engineer
- Chemical Engineer
- Member of the Economic
Avantika is a member of the Economic, Sustainability, and Market Analysis team at the National Renewable Energy Lab and project leader for analysis in plastics, performance advantaged bioproducts, and renewable fuels. Her interests include cost-benefit analysis of early-stage technologies to evaluate their commercial viability, sustainability impacts, and identify key areas for improvement.
Job Titles:
- Head of Segment Plastics, Business Area Digital Technologies
- Head of the Segment for Plastics
Bernhard Gabauer is the Head of the Segment for Plastics at Bühler, looking after an extensive client base globally to provide comprehensive optical sorting solutions in the packaging, construction, electronic waste and petrochemical recycling industries.
Mr. Powell has over 28 years of industry experience, he is passionate about finding and implementing solutions to profound waste problems that have energy application. He believes that we can tackle our global environmental issues with economic solutions that have a positive environmental impact. He has customer and technology experience in waste, renewables, clean generation technologies, as well as efficiency measures. His experiences include being the CEO of a solar developer, an innovator in financing energy projects, the CFO of a large utility, the North America President of the largest worldwide renewable company and a Partner at Andersen and PWC's energy practices.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
- Business Development Manager for TrinamiX GmbH
Brian Schmatz is a Business Development Manager for trinamiX GmbH, a subsidiary of BASF focused on optical imaging technologies.
After receiving his PhD in Polymer Chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology, where his thesis focused on environmentally benign printing of electronic inks, Brian joined BASF and worked as a researcher in the Effect Pigments group and a strategist in the Corporate Sustainability group before joining trinamiX.
Brian is passionate about prioritizing sustainability in his work, and is currently pursuing many circular economy projects that utilize the trinamiX NIR spectrometer.
Chandra Bhushan is an environmentalist and one of India's foremost environment and climate change experts. He is presently the CEO of International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST).
He has a wide-ranging research and public policy interests. He has researched, written and campaigned for issues ranging from climate change and energy transformation to rights of mining-affected people and industrial pollution. He has authored/ co-authored 20 books and authored/ co-authored/ directed more than 60 reports.
He has a deep interest in global environmental governance and has worked closely with countries to influence outcomes at the UNFCCC and the Montreal Protocol. He was conferred with the Ozone Award by the UN Environment in 2017 for his contributions towards the framing of the Kigali Amendments to the Montreal Protocol.
Bhushan advises a range of institutions worldwide. He is an expert member for the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) group of countries on Climate Change. He served as a Member, Engagement Committee of the Future Earth.
He writes a fortnightly column in Financial Express and a monthly column in the Times of India.
Job Titles:
- Director - Corporate Affairs, INSWA Business Unit
Chandramohan is part of the Coca-Cola India management team who has over 17 years with Coca-Cola has held roles of increasing responsibility in Franchise Operations, Region Marketing, Supply Chain and Corporate Affairs. Prior to Coca-Cola he has worked for Wipro Infotech, Marico, Perfetti-Van Melle and ICICI Bank.
Currently as the Director of Corporate Affairs in Coca-Cola, he supports business operations in 6 countries of South West Asia on matters of public policy, consumer affairs and strategic security. In the recent past he has been instrumental in improving ring fencing for Coca-Cola system to protect business core on issues like Taxation, Environment, Licensing, Manufacturing Regulatory challenges, Health debates and Advertising watershed at Centre and State level.
Currently as the General Secretary of PET Packaging Association for Clean Environment (PACE), he has widely collaborated with industry and policy makers on the implementation of the Plastic Waste Management Rules. He is also one the founding members of PACE. Recently he has championed the launch of a national platform which will allow industry to play its part in solving the challenges of managing plastic waste. This platform is called "Karo Sambhav - Closing Material Loops".
Chandramohan completed his Masters in Marketing from SP Jain Institute of Management Studies in 1995 and also holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from NIT Allahabad. Midway in his working career he completed a diploma program in Supply Chain Management from the Georgia Tech University in Atlanta.
Job Titles:
- Head of Asia Pacific
- Head of WRAP Asia Pacific
Claire is Head of WRAP Asia Pacific, based in Adelaide, South Australia. She leads on the development and delivery of all of WRAP's work in the region, specialising in policy & strategy support, collaborative agreements between public, private & third sectors, and citizen behaviour change.
Claire has developed and delivered sustainability and circular economy projects and programmes ranging from £1,000 to over £10M for partners ranging from Apple to the UN Environment Programme across the world from Australia to Mexico. Her knowledge of sustainable resources stretches across WRAP's portfolio from sustainable food systems, through to recycling infrastructure development and sustainable finance.
Working with industry, federal, provincial and municipal governments, and the not-for-profit sector, Clarissa Morawski brings over 20 years of technical, analytical and communications experience in waste minimization policy and operations. Clarissa Morawski specializes in waste minimization and stewardship policy in Canada, with a specific interest in extended producer responsibility programs, costs and performance.
Morawski is recognized for the comprehensive information she provides - information that is thoroughly researched and clearly organized.
In March 2015, Clarissa Morawski co-founded the Reloop Platform, a European-based network representing industry, ENGOs and government with a shared vision of a circular economy for Europe. Reloop connects stakeholders for information-sharing to inform and influence decision makers to adopt policy that works towards the implementation of systems that promote a circular economy.
Claus comes with 25 years of experience from the corporate world. He spent 7 year as the Managing Director for Luxottica South East Asia, Australia/New Zealand & South Pacific and before that he spent 18 years with Procter & Gamble in different leadership roles across Europe and Asia. He has also been active on different NGO boards over the last 7 years.
Job Titles:
- Reporter
- Reporter at Resource Recycling
Colin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling, where he covers municipal recycling, plastics recycling and electronics recycling for the company's three trade journals. He joined the publication in 2017 after working in local news reporting.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director of ILLIG LP
- VP Sustainability
Conor Carlin is the Managing Director of ILLIG LP, the North American subsidiary of ILLIG Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, a Germany-based designer and manufacturer of thermoforming, tooling, and packaging systems. A member of SPE since 2000, he serves as editor for SPE Thermoforming and Recycling Division publications. Carlin has contributed articles on plastics and packaging for international industry press in the US, Europe, and Asia. In 2017, he was elected to the SPE Executive Board as VP of Marketing and Communications, and re-elected in 2020 as the first VP of Sustainability. Carlin has degrees from Boston University (BA, International Relations / French) and the FW Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College (MBA).
Job Titles:
- Segment Market Manager for Plastics
Daniel Lladó holds a Chemistry degree from the UB and a Master in Marketing from EADA both in Barcelona.
He started his professional career as technician in an R+D+I center focused on plastics (UPC - Barcelona).
In 2004 he joined Nubiola and have been working in different technical and Marketing roles related to Plastics.
In 2015 he joined Ferro through Nubiola acquisition.
Nowadays he is the Segment Market Manager for Plastics, as well as Product Manager for different pigments of Ferro's portfolio.
Job Titles:
- VP of Business Development - Materials, North America
Derek Schaefer comes to UBQ with 14 years of global experience in polyolefin compounding and commercializing tailored solutions across industries, Schaefer was honored as a rising star by Plastics News in 2021.
Job Titles:
- Technical & Innovation Manager, AFMEI
Dharm is responsible for Application development, Technical support and Innovation of LyondellBasell polyolefin products in Africa, Middle east, ISC and Turkey. Based out of Dubai, Dharm has been associated with LyondellBasell for the last 10 years. With more than 16 years of experience in polyolefins he has worked with various stakeholders in the value chain from machinery to brand owners.
Prior to LyondellBasell, Dharm was associated with Haldia Petrochemicals limited, India, where he engaged in R&D and technical services.
Job Titles:
- Berry Global in 2014 As a Research & Development Project Manager
- Sustainability Director - Consumer Packaging, North America
Diane Marret joined Berry Global in 2014 as a Research & Development Project Manager and in 2020 became the Sustainability Director for the Consumer Packaging North America division.
Prior to joining Berry, Diane worked in various engineering and program management roles in the home appliance and automotive industries.
Her team manages a portfolio of activities aimed at achieving Berry's Impact 2025 sustainability goals, through material science projects, supplier development, and collaborating with customers to educate and align on sustainability goals.
Job Titles:
- Director - Market Development
Director Market Development EVAL(tm) EVOH Resins and fil s and Plantic(tm) Thermoplastic Starch: Experienced professional with Industrial Engineer degree in Chemistry from Liege Industrial Engineering High School and with short-MBA qualification "Business essentials for Talents in management" at Kluwer Formation. More than 20 years experience in Barrier Packaging evolving functions of technical support, (new) business & market developments and regulatory affairs responsibilities in the area of barrier multilayer structures with accumulated experience in established and innovative plastics converting technologies. Winner of 3 Kuraray Company awards, two for significant successful business development.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Development Economist
- Practitioner Development Economist
Dr. Aruna Sharma has worked as the Secretary Steel and Information Technology for the government of India, Director General of Doordarshan and written several books on Resources, Food Security and Policy Making. Dr.Sharma has always focused to create a holistic approach to her work.
Dr. Sharma's focus of work also focuses on Water Security and enhancing local jobs. Access to preventive health care has been the focus when she worked as Secretary Health and Family Welfare. The focus has been on holistic care in terms of drinking water, sanitation, preventive hygiene and vaccination and access to inpatient. She has been a member of the National Knowledge Commission on Health Care and Education as well.
Her doctoral work is on psycho-barriers in access to public health care. She has worked extensively with policy makers for revival of mining in Goa and the new draft of proposed mining policy.
Dr Jaime Gómez's 30-years of industry experience includes plastics, specialty chemicals, and materials handling-industries where he has conducted basic and applied research, evaluation and acquisitions of technologies and companies, international business development, and corporate strategic planning. Dr Gómez is currently President & CEO of Equitech, a company dedicated to the in-line measurement of chemical concentration, and color and film thickness for a myriad of industries.
Dr Gómez joined SPE in 1987 while pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. While there, he served as SPE's Student Chapter President for two terms. He also served as a member of SPE's Extrusion Division Board of Directors for six years and helped establish the Next Generation Advisory Board (NGAB). Dr Gómez has been a member of SPE's Board of Directors since 2013 and has served as SPE's Secretary, Treasurer, VP of Marketing & Communications, VP of Events, and President-Elect. Dr Gómez received SPE's President's Cup in 2014 and the Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2017. He also invented and produced The Plastics Race, an event that promotes networking and knowledge exchange between SPE members. Dr Gómez was named President of SPE for the 2020/2021 term.
Dr Gómez has been a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) since 1983 and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AiChE) since 1988.
Dr Gómez received a BS in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) in Medellín, Colombia, an MS in Organic Chemistry from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, and a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut. In addition to his technical training, Dr Gómez received an MBA from New York University (Stern School of Business) with concentration in International Business, Finance & Marketing.
Job Titles:
- Business Manager
- President
Jason started at Arkema Inc in 2006 as a Scientist working on developing the next generation toughening agents for a variety of plastic materials and he went on to become the R&D Manager this group in 2012. After four years, Jason was asked to lead a new start-up business within Arkema's corporate incubator. Today, he is the Business Manager for Arkema's Kepstan®PEKK product line with full P&L responsibilities.
Prior to joining Arkema, Jason worked for NovaComp, Inc where he led efforts to secure government funding for small business research grants and he was an Adjunct Professor at Philadelphia University in the College of Engineering teaching courses on Biomechanics and Textile Mechanics.
From 2010-2018, Lyons sat on the SPE Engineering Properties & Structure Division (EPSDIV) Board of Directors. During that time, he introduced the EPSDIV Seminar Series, was an EPSDIV Technical Program Chair (TPC) in 2010 and 2017 and was EPSDIV Chair in 2014. He was on the SPE Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing Special Interest Group Board of Directors from 2016-2020 and has been an ANTEC® moderator since 2010.
Lyons has been on the SPE Executive Board as VP Divisions since 2016 and he now serves as President for the 2021-2022 term.
Lyons received his Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering from Drexel University and his Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Engineering from Philadelphia University.
Job Titles:
- Principal at Washburn Consulting Sustainability
- Senior Policy Advisor
Dr Michael Washburn is Principal at Washburn Consulting Sustainability and Public Affairs and serves as a senior policy advisor to The Recycling Partnership.
Washburn Consulting provides sustainability strategy, research, program support and public policy engagement advice to corporate and non-profit clients.
Michael is the former VP of sustainability at Nestle Waters North America, former Senior Director at The Wilderness Society, and founder and former director of the Program on Forest Certification at the Yale School of Forestry. He resides with his family in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Executive President
- Executive President of the Environmental Management Centre LLP
- Member of the Indian Resources Panel at the Ministry of Environment
Dr. Prasad is the Executive President of the Environmental Management Centre LLP and the Director of Ekonnect knowledge Foundation. In the past he served as a Professor at the Centre for Environmental Science & Engineering at IIT Bombay and the Center for Technology alternative Rural Areas.
Dr. Prasad is a member of the Indian Resources Panel at the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and a Member of Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement at the Ministry of Finance. Dr. Prasad collaborated with most key UN, multilateral and bi-lateral developmental institutions around the world, with his advice sought by the Governments of India, Bangladesh, Egypt Indonesia, Mauritius, Thailand and Vietnam.
His book on Practicing Circular Economy is in production and will be released in June 2021 Dr. Prasad also published several books on environmental management subjects such as Environmental Impact Assessment for Developing Counties and Environmental Management Towards Sustainability.
Job Titles:
- Management Consultant
- Waste Management Consultant
Dr. Bharat Bhushan Nagar is a Waste Management Expert, having 19 years of Indian as well as International markets. He holds Professional accreditations from NREP, USA and ISWA, Austria. He is part of many working groups at ISWA and has co-authored landfill operation guidelines published by ISWA. He has worked in designing and implementation of Integrated Management Systems for various urban utilities and service industry across the country. He has worked with all leading waste management service providers on more than 30 contracts . His area of Interest is waste recycling, circular economy, dump site rehabilitation and GHG emission management.
Job Titles:
- Mechanical Engineer
- Director Sustainability Services, UK
Federico Magalini, a Mechanical Engineer, holds a PhD in Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering from Politecnico di Milano University.
Federico has more than 20 years practical experience on e-waste management, capacity building and policy; 4 years experiences as Operations & Quality Managers in take back scheme for e-waste, batteries, PV, and other industrial waste streams.
Federico has a solid track record in implementation of take back policies and approaches, development and enforcement of voluntary standards (WEEELABEX, EcoGuard), business model development and financing systems, policy development and technology transfer.
Federico has been actively involved in capacity building projects for policy makers and entrepreneurs across Africa as initiator and manager of the E-waste Academy for almost 8 years (www.ewasteacademy.org) and supported policy development through various projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria and few other countries.
After having developed the UK branch of Sofies (www.sofiesgroup.com) he is currently the Director of Sustainability Services for UK of DSS (DuPont Sustainable Solutions) a consulting group headquartered in Geneva.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager - Research
Dr. Kat Knauer has a PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi.
She completed a 2-year rotational post-doctorate in BASF's Leadership Development Program (LDP) and placed off into a Senior Scientist role in BASF's Plastics Division.
Her research efforts focused on advanced recycling technologies which ultimately led her to joining the Materials Innovation R&D team at Novoloop (formerly BioCellection), a San Francisco Bay Area startup.
At Novoloop she helped develop a technology that converted post-consumer polyethylene waste into valuable chemical building blocks that she upcycled into new high-performing polymer applications.
Recently, Dr. Knauer joined the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) Consortium where she will continue to work towards achieving a circular economy for plastics through innovative research.
Job Titles:
- Director / Scientist 'F'
- Scientist, Director & Head of the Department of Electronics Materials & Component Development Division
Dr. Sandip Chatterjee, Scientist, Director & Head of the Department of Electronics Materials & Component Development Division, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, is engaged in implementing R&D projects on electronics material, components.
He is Master in Science (Physics) from University of Calcutta and Doctorate from University of Delhi, India for successful completion of research work on the materials of rare earth oxides and rare earth oxysulfide phosphors from National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, India. Phosphor, luminescent material applied in display devices like picture tube, flat panel, fluorescent tube, x-ray intensifier screen were his interest area.
He is the nodal officer in the Ministry for developing Recycling technologies of Electronic Waste management and successfully completed 5 projects till technology demonstration stages. His work has been recognised and thereby received President's award from Former Hon'ble President of India in 2014. He had published more than 100 research articles in peered review journals, 2 patents and 3 books from international publishers, viz., "Electronics Waste Management: An India Perspective" by international publisher Lambert Academic Publishing Co, Germany and a chapter on "Sustainable Recycling Technology for Electronic Waste", of the book "Sustainability in the Mineral and Energy Sectors", published by CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, USA, September 8, 2016.
Dr. Chatterjee has also rich working experience in electronic component industry, a colour picture-manufacturing company, during 1995-2000 at M/s. JCT Electronics, Vadodara, Gujarat. Design, R&D, new product development, indigenization, process improvements etc. were his prime responsibility.
He is, presently, engaged in creating Centre of Excellences (CoEs) on emerging areas for creating ecosystem of indigenously developed technologies for Indian manufacturers. Five CoEs including rechargeable battery, e-waste recycling technology, additive manufacturing for electronics & photonics components, Li-ion based mobile accessories, programmable photonic integrated circuits & systems have so far been established.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Mechanical Engineer
Eric is a mechanical engineer, with decades of experience in designing with plastics. In 2006, he founded Art of Mass Production™️ (AMP), an engineering consulting service specializing in the technologies of mass production. Products he has worked on include boogie boards, water basketball games, SCUBA diving equipment, disposable lighters, cell phones, and hand-held medical devices.
Eric often writes about the effective use of plastics through the plastic trade press, and on his blog site, plasticsguy.com. His book Thermoplastic Materials Selection: A Practical Guide, was released in 2015, and is currently in over 450 university libraries in more than 20 countries.
Job Titles:
- Programs and Sustainability Coordinator
A recent Michigan State University (MSU) graduate, Evan Morton has over 15 years of research experience. Prior to becoming the Programs and Sustainability Coordinator for the SPE Foundation, he was an undergraduate researcher and research ambassador at MSU. He received recognition with his first-place win at the Research Spring Symposium for his project focusing on plastic and paper bag quality and the related perceptions of consumers. He was also part of the Summer Opportunity Research Program at MSU where he published research journals about sustainable lumber with Dr. Berghorn of the school of Domicology. While in middle and high school, he was part of Ecotek Science at Work Lab focusing on research projects in biofuels, bioplastics, and material science, which led to a summer research internship with NTH Consultants.
Mr. Morton also focused his efforts on community, working as a sub-city Council member focusing on green infrastructure with members for a climate action plan. He worked for Clean Water Action, speaking with over 1,000 Michigan residents about voter's rights, water rights, and created a lead safety guideline for Michigan residents. While working for the Student Housing Cooperative of East Lansing, Mr. Morton established the first sustainability internship focusing on improving house quality, restructuring the office with re-purposed carpet, and created rewards for houses working for sustainable solutions. He also led Earth Day events and diversity training for residents of the community.
Mr. Morton Joined the PlastiVan® Team earlier this as the youngest member of the team and the first Black male educator in the program's history. Within his first six months, he reached over 500 students across Detroit. He also brought the second international partnership to the program by educating students in Dakar, Senegal. Mr. Morton has very ambitious goals for the PlastiVan Program and plans to expand sustainability topics for students. He currently resides in East Lansing, Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Association Partner / Delegate Bag Patron
Job Titles:
- Senior Analyst and Global Analyst Team Lead, Plastics Recycling
Helen McGeough is the Lead on Plastics Recycling for ICIS.
Helen has extensive experience of the recycling industry and business having worked in the sector for over 17 years.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director - Strategy & Operations
Job Titles:
- Technical and Scientific Director
Technical and Scientific Director of the ICIPC. He has worked at the ICIPC since 2003, holding the positions of research assistant, product development subdirector, technical director and general director (in charge). He worked at the Polymer Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a research and teaching assistant. Production Engineer from EAFIT University with Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Researcher, teacher and consultant in areas of knowledge that include polymer processing, sustainability and circular economy in plastics, modeling and simulation of transport phenomena, packaging engineering, rheology, among others. Director of the Joint Research platform - SPIRIT, in conjunction with the Fraunhofer FIT Institute of Germany. Co-inventor of patents and patent applications, and co-author of several scientific publications.
Job Titles:
- Innovation Director
- the Innovation Director of Berry
Jagan is the innovation director of Berry bpi recycled products for over 6 years with responsibility for product and process innovations in recycling, refuse and construction sectors.
He is also responsible for several design for recycling and recycled content projects at berry bpi.
He has a PhD degree in polymer physics from the University of Leeds and has published over 15 articles in peer reviewed journals.
Joachim Quoden an experienced professional with over 25+ years of experience in waste management. Managing Director of EXPRA, an alliance of 27 PRO's from more than 25 countries. Worked within the German Federal Ministry of Environment working on packaging issues including the German Packaging Ordinance. Worked with Der Gruine Punkt - Duales System Deutschland GmbH (DSD), as Syndicus between 2001-2013. Held the title of Secretary General and later Managing Director of PRO EUROPE, the umbrella organisation of 35 packaging recovery organisations. Independent lawyer in Germany specializing in international EPR legislation, chair of ISVWA's Governance WG and EU Group since 1995. Member of the OECD EPR expert group and several.
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst, Plastics Recycling, APAC
Joshua is an analyst with the ICIS Plastics Recycling analyst team, based in Singapore. He brings in over 3 years of experience in the sustainability and plastics recycling space having worked in a waste management consultancy.
Job Titles:
- Customer Experience & Sustainability Leader
With over 20 years' experience, Kari leads Customer Experience & Sustainability at PADNOS, an industrial recycler of paper, plastics, metals, and electronics.
She is a GreenBiz certified professional, Leading the Sustainability Transformation, a board member of the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, and the Treasurer of the Society of Plastic Engineers Recycling Division.
Her ability to establish trust with a diverse array of customers, and identify what they value, brings all the necessary stakeholders together to solve complex circular economy challenges.
Karl Englund currently works at Washington State University's Composite Materials and Engineering Center. He graduated with a BS in 1988 and MS degree in 1991 in Wood science at West Virginia University. Prior to completing his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Washington State University in 2001, Karl was a technical director for Trus Joist MacMillan (now Weyerhaeuser). He started as a faculty for Washington State University's Composite Materials and Engineering Center in 2008 and is now an Associate Research Professor. His research focuses on processing composites and utilizing waste materials as feedstocks for composites and bioenergy. Much of his work finds him collaborating with government agencies, non-profits, and industry.
More recently Karl has also taken a half-time appointment as Chief Technology Officer for Global Fiberglass Solutions, Inc. GFS is a start-up manufacturing company focused on recycling wind turbine blades and other glass fiber composites into second generation products. Karl's primary responsibilities are focused on manufacturing operations, customer/application development, and new processing strategies to recycled synthetic fiber composites into value-added products.
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Chief Marketing Officer, High Performance Polymers
- Employee of Arkema
Kevin has been a long time employee of Arkema having held previous positions in R&D and business management.
Born and raised in Ireland, he emigrated to the USA in 1987 before joining BASF and then Arkema.
Kevin is an industrial chemist with a passion for sustainable development and innovation. He is responsible for Arkema's global marketing related to fluoropolymers, specialty polyamides, and PEKK resins.
Job Titles:
- Owner
- Principal Consultant
- Owner and Principal Consultant of 4R Sustainability
Kim Holmes is the owner and principal consultant of 4R Sustainability, a consulting firm dedicated to working with industry to advance recycling and sustainability goals.
Kim works with clients to demonstrate innovative recovery solutions, develop sustainable communications and business development strategies, and serves as a technical expert.
Prior to relaunching her firm, Kim was the vice president of sustainability for the Plastics Industry Association, where she developed new models for testing end market development and collection methods for a wide range of recycled plastic feedstreams.
In her free time, she enjoys skiing, hiking and biking with her family in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Mrs. Kim Van de Velde has been with 3M since 1997. Initially she started at the R&D department of Scotchgard protective materials for textiles.
In 1998 she joined the application and development department of Dynamar™ Polymer Processing Additives. She assisted in the start-up of the blown film equipment and later the expansion of a 3-layer blown film line.
She is specialised in executing and coordinating customer trials in the Zwijndrecht lab on different extrusion equipment for various applications using 3M Dynamar PPA's.
Currently, Kim works as a Technologist for Dynamar™ Polymer Processing Additives for EMEA, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Kim graduated in 1996 at the KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Antwerp with a degree in Industrial Chemistry.
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Chief Marketing Office
- Textile Engineer from the Reputed V.J.T.I
Mr. Makarand Kulkarni is currently working as Chief Marketing officer and Interim CEO at Polygenta Technologies Limited, India.
In his work experience as a CMO, he has been instrumental in developing global markets for recycled products and implementation of various sales and marketing strategies. Now as a CEO he is leading the organization to create a traceable supply chain for raw material.
Before joining POLYGENTA TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED, Mr. Makarand has created business opportunities for leading textile companies like Futura Polyester Ltd, Century Enka Ltd, Indorama Synthetics (I) Limited, Garden Silk Mills Limited, Petrofils Co-op Limited etc.
Mr. Makarand is a textile engineer from the reputed V.J.T.I., Mumbai and has an overall 30 years of experience in the field of Marketing and Sales with expertise in finding various applications for new product development1
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Co - Founder and CEO of Banyan Nation
Mani Vajipey is the Co-Founder and CEO of Banyan Nation, a globally recognised company for its data intelligence platform and plastic cleaning technology, winning the top award for Circular Economy at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2018.
Mani was previously with Qualcomm Inc. in California, working on mobile technologies for the Apple iPad and iPhone product lines.
Job Titles:
- Senior Editor - Recycling
Job Titles:
- Market Development Manager
Masahiro Kitamura completed master's degree in polymer science at Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan in 2003, then working in Kuraray EVAL division for 18years deeply involved in plastic packaging industry.
His main career was R&D and Technical Service of EVAL™ resin in Asian territory till 2018. Since 2018 he has been working in EVAL EUROPE N.V. (Kuraray subsidiary in Belgium) and in charge of Market Development and Technical Service for Kuraray's barrier materials with key focus of environmental friendly packaging.
Matt Tudball is Head of European Markets in the ICIS Commercial Strategy team, responsible for shaping and driving the company's strategic priorities across the European market. An increasingly large part of Matt's role revolves around sustainability and recycling as the petrochemical industry moves towards a more circular economy. Recognising that this move will fundamentally change the petrochemical industry in the coming years, ICIS has launched its Sustainability Vision team, of which Matt is a part, working to architect a sustainable future across the petrochemical and energy markets.
At the core of this exciting new Vision, ICIS want to enable a greener future by hosting the ecosystem of critical intelligence, and building and educating communities around the world on the topics of recycling and sustainability. Starting with polymers, Matt and the team look to build a global recycling network to help better connect the industry and supply invaluable data around waste collection, increasing mechanical and chemical recycling capacities, and the increasingly ambitious brand pledges that are driving them.
Matt joined ICIS in 2012 as market report before moving into the Commercial Strategy team in 2017. Covering various petchem reports in is seven years at ICIS has given Matt an extensive knowledge of the European markets, and now he regularly attends industry events and conferences, and provides comprehensive, bespoke market overviews to customers across Europe.
Job Titles:
- Councilor - SPE Color and Appearance Division
- Is Director of Technology & Innovation at Peacock Colors and Vortex Liquid Color
Mercedes Landazuri is Director of Technology & Innovation at Peacock Colors and Vortex Liquid Color.
She is past president of SPE Recycling Division and currently serves as Councilor for SPE Color and Appearance Division.
She was named a Plastics News Rising Star in 2017. In her spare time she co-hosts PlastChicks, a podcast about all things plastic.
Job Titles:
- Director, Sales & Advertising
Job Titles:
- Application Marketing Manager for the Packaging Circular Economy Solutions
- Commercial Lead
- Lead - India and South East Asia Packaging Circular Economy Solutions
Michaela Schaller is the Commercial Lead for Circular Economy Solutions at Borouge. She leads the positioning and business develoment portfolio, creating growth opportunities across the entire value chain.
Schaller joined Borouge as an Application Marketing Manager for the Packaging Circular Economy Solutions team in 2019, supporting the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia regions, driving circular packaging application development and commercialisation for the company.
Michaela Schaller is Application Marketing Manager for Packaging Circular Economy Solutions at Borouge since September 2019.
Based in Singapore, she is driving Circular Economy Solutions in the packaging market across India and South East Asia by developing and commercialising circular packaging applications and creating growth opportunities within the entire value chain. Schaller leads the positioning of Borouge's Circular Economy packaging solutions portfolio in India and South East Asia as well as the corresponding market intelligence and marketing communication in this region.
Prior to joining Borouge, Schaller worked for Amerplast Ltd for 2.5 years as Market Area Director for the Central European business based in Hamburg, Germany focusing on market development for circular packaging innovations. Before that, she was Key Account Manager for Amcor, based in Manchester, UK and she was responsible for managing key accounts driving growth and customer centricity snacks and confectionary market.
Schaller had various roles with Elopak in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands prior to joining Amcor, driving market development, sales growth and product marketing across the region for 15 years. Schaller holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Cooperative Education, Germany since 2004 focusing on Marketing and Finance. She also completed Master's Degrees in Business & Administration (MBA) from Mannheim Business School, part of the University of Mannheim and from ESSEC Business School, Paris obtained between 2009 and 2010. Schaller is a German national.
Job Titles:
- Technical Director
- Specialist
- Technical Director / Mike Hannah Technical Director
- Technical Director of Enviropod International
Mike Hannah is the Technical Director of Enviropod International. Mike believes in preserving our oceans and waterways for future generations. Through the use of technology and public engagement, he is raising awareness of the sources and pathways of plastic pollution into our oceans, lakes, and rivers. Enviropods solutions offer a simple and affordable way for business and industry to control their plastic footprint. This intern drives awareness and greater responsibility. We are all part of the problem; we all need to be part solutions. Let's turn the tide on plastic to create plastic fee waterways.
Mike Hannah is also the co-founder and Managing/Technical Director of the specialist stormwater management company, Stormwater360 New Zealand. With 30 years' experience as stormwater management and green infrastructure practitioner Mike Hannah has designed, developed, and implemented numerous stormwater solutions across the Asia Pacific region and is regularly called on to consult on planning and legislative changes to the New Zealand stormwater policy and practice.
Job Titles:
- Ambassador
- CEO
- FOUNDER
- CEO and Founder of Polymerupdate
- Co - Founder of Pworld Technology Pvt Ltd
- Director With Chhagan Mitha
Sajjid Mitha is the CEO and Founder of Polymerupdate - Asia's largest and the world's fastest growing petrochemical market Intelligence Company.
He is the CEO and Founder of PWorld Tech - creators of Polymerexchange - the world's first and simplest trading platform for polymer resins.
Mr Mitha's commitment to saving the environment is represented through RACE (Recycling And the Circular Economy) - a global platform which hosts both physical and virtual conferences on waste management, grass-root level education programmes for a better understanding on handling waste responsibly and clean-up activities across beaches.
He is also the CEO of Polymerupdate Academy, which provides customised corporate training courses to assist you in expanding your knowledge in the Petrochemical, Chemical, Pharma and allied sectors.
He is on the Industrial Advisory Board of the Department of Polymer Science at the Somaiya Vidyavihar University.
Sajjid Mitha is single handedly responsible for revolutionizing the manner in which plastics and petrochemical intelligence is processed and presented online. Sajjid set-up Polymerupdate in 1999, India's first petrochemical real time news and price alert service. Over the past 20 years, the company with over 100 employees, has emerged as a preferred and credible destination for global industry players seeking daily plastics and petrochemicals intelligence. Today it is Asia's largest and one of the world's fastest growing Petrochemical market intelligence companies. Over the years, garnering knowledge and expertise in the commodity space, Sajjid also forayed into the online trading domain and launched Polymer Exchange, an app which promises to forever change and revolutionize the way in which plastics and polymers are bought and sold. The Polymer Exchange App makes buying & selling of polymers easy, simple and efficient. Buyers and sellers can post their inquiries for through this intelligently built robust trading tool.
Sajjid is an avid photographer and a prolific luxury travel writer and has over the years won an impressive audience through his travel blog travelmango.in. TravelMango is a highly refined, luxury travel blog which is actively followed by over 50,000 HNIs from across South Asia and the Middle East. TravelMango is beautifully curated and is a fantastic place to learn about Interesting places to travel to and eat at.
Sajjid Mitha is the ambassador for Soneva Resorts. He is also a consulting editor for BBC Goodfood Guide and a consulting editor for Hospitality Horizons. His features are carried in various magazines which include L'officiel, Vogue, Upper Crust and Hello.
Sajjid is a director with Chhagan Mitha, an automobile engineering firm with petroleum retail outlets in the city of Mumbai. Sajjid is a director of Azul Arc India, a multi media design and technology firm with it's head office located in Georgia, Atlanta, U.S.A.. In 2002 Sajjid was appointed as an Honorary Trade Advisor to the Ministry Of Commerce, Royal Government of Thailand to promote bi-lateral trade between India and Thailand and to enhance the existing relationship shared between both countries. Sajjid is a member of the ethical committee of the Shroff Eye clinic in India.
In 1999 Sajjid set up Polymerupdate.com, India's first petrochemical news and pricing intelligence service. The company has since grown to become a preferred destination for global players seeking credible plastics and petrochemical intelligence.
Mr Sajjid Mitha is also a co-founder of Pworld Technology Pvt Ltd. Co-organisers of today's RACE conference The company is in the business of developing, maintaining and operating E-commerce platforms to facilitate retail trading in polymers and other petroleum products. The first of it's platforms, Polymerexchange.com has well over 12,000 active users and the list of global users is rapidly growing.
Job Titles:
- EVP - Corporate EHS & Sustainability / ITC Ltd
Mr Sanjib Bezbaroa had studied Engineering from REC (now NIT) Allahabad and Post Graduation from Imperial College, London. Currently, he is an Executive Vice President - Corporate Environment Health, Safety & Sustainability at ITC and is overall responsible for Safety & Sustainability. His focus areas include safety engineering, behavioural safety, water security and post-consumer packaging.
Mr. Pankaj Poddar leads Cosmo Films Ltd. as their CEO since 2011. He is a regular speaker at various packaging industry forums and sits on the board of Organization of Plastic Processors of India. He frequently appears in press and television as an expert on the packaging industry.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager for the Regional Policy Advocacy Component of the EU
- Regional Coordinator for Resource Efficiency and SWITCH - Asia RPAC Project Manager
Dr. Memon is the Regional Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific in the Resource Efficiency Department of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Dr. Memon is also Project Manager for the Regional Policy Advocacy Component of the EU-funded SWITCH-Asia Programme to promote sustainable consumption and production and uptake of SDG 12 in Asia.
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Sustainability & Save Food Packaging
Nerida Kelton has worked in the Packaging industry for over 23 years and is the Vice President Sustainability & Save Food for the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) and the Executive Director for the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) which is the peak professional body for packaging training and education in Australasia.
Nerida is passionate about Sustainable & Circular Packaging and Save Food Packaging Design and is the lead for the Save Food Packaging Consortium project within the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre and was the packaging representative on the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment's National Food Waste Strategy Steering Committee.
She invests her time educating the industry on the important role that packaging plays in minimising Food Waste and how designing Save Food Packaging can make a difference.
She is also committed to helping educate and train packaging professionals in the importance of sustainable and circular packaging design and recognising best practice in this area.
Nerida believes that everyone has a role to play in minimising their environmental impact on our planet.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- CEO of SPE
Patrick (Pat) Farrey has been the CEO of SPE since June 2017. A career association executive, Farrey was previously an Executive Vice President of Kellen - a global association management firm with offices in Atlanta, Brussels, Beijing, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, New York and Washington, D.C. Farrey was a member of the company's Executive Board and managed its Chicago and Denver offices.
Farrey was a founding partner of the association management company Landon, Farrey & Associates, Inc., which was acquired by Kellen in October 2011. Prior, he and his business partner launched Independent Publishing Company (IPC), a publisher of packaging-industry trade magazines, association journals and web sites. IPC was acquired by Medical World Communications (NJ) in December 2001.
Farrey specializes in helping Societies achieve profitability, relevance and vitality. His strengths include strategic planning, marketing, global expansion, membership development, publishing, administration, public relations, meetings and trade show management.
Farrey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. He is a member of American Society of Association Executives, Arizona Society of Association Executives and Association Forum of Chicagoland.
Peter Schneider is President of Next Generation Recycling Machines, Inc., the Americas operations of Next Generation Recycling Maschinen GmbH.
He spent most of his career in plastics in different industries (Automotive, Medical Devices, Packaging Machinery, and Plastic Recycling).
He joined Next Generation Recycling Machines Inc. in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Project Officer for Plastic Waste Recycling Management Programme / United Nations Development Programme
Pratibha Sharma has over 9 years of experience, primarily working on solid waste management (SWM) sector, with International Zero Waste Network and Wastepickers' Organizations in India. Currently, she is working as a Project Officer for Plastic Waste Recycling Management Programme at United Nations Development Programme, India.
Previously she has worked with Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), an international network of more than 800 grassroot organizations working towards environmental justice, sustainable development, and human rights. As a Country Coordinator, Pratibha supported the national zero waste movement in India through research and advocacy, knowledge sharing, and member connect. She specializes in design, implementation and advocacy of decentralized zero waste systems with focus on recycling, informal sector inclusion, and organics waste management.
Pratibha is passionate about building decentralized and participatory governance structures for SWM policy implementation and strengthening capacity of Grassroots Communities and Urban Local Bodies. Through numerous public lectures, workshops, and study tours, Pratibha has facilitated knowledge exchange for diverse stakeholder groups like Government Officials, Private Sector, Academicians, Civil Society at various Regional and International platforms, including COP 21. She also authored a few publications on waste and informal sector.
An engineer turned development professional, Pratibha holds a Bachelor of Technology Degree from National Institute of Technology, Surat and a Post-graduation degree in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Her interest areas include circular economy, sustainable livelihoods, social inclusion and a range of issues at the intersection of gender equality, women's rights and climate justice.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology
Presently Dr Habbu is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology and teaches Polymer Science at various institutes. He is a Consultant to Reliance Petrochemicals Sector for its Sustainability efforts and a Technical Advisor to the PET industry associations.
Job Titles:
- Chancellor
- Ex - Professor of Polymer Technology & Head of the Department of Polymer Engineering
Professor D. D. Kale is a Chemical Engineer. He is born on November 16, 1945. He obtained his Ph. D. from University of Salford, UK.
He has a teaching experience over last 40 years. He retired from University of Mumbai's Department of Chemical Technology, UDCT, Mumbai in 2005 as a Professor of Polymer Technology and as a Head of the Department of Polymer Engineering.
At present, he is technical advisor, Giriraj Group, Mumbai. He has been consultant to many plastics industries.
He is a member of high power expert committee to Government of Maharashtra on environmental issues. He is also a member of committee to define single use plastics set up by Ministry of Chemicals and fertilizers, New Delhi. He is on the expert panel for centres of excellence by DCPC
He has been a Visiting Professor in South Korea.
After superannuation in 2005, he has worked with Reliance Industries Ltd. for three years.
His research interests are in polymer processing, rheology, product design and recycling. He has guided 28 Ph. D. and 65 Masters Students. He has published more than100 papers in peer reviewed journals. He has one patent to his credit. He has presented papers in many International conferences such as IUPAC and travelled widely.
He is associated with many professional bodies such as PLASTINDIA, All India Plastics Manufacturers Association, (AIPMA), IPI and SPE etc.
Job Titles:
- Division Director - Plastics
- Division Director Plastics of the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability
Rudolf Pfaendner studied chemistry at the University of Bayreuth in Germany and received his PhD in 1985 with a thesis on electrically conductive polymers.
During 25 years he held different positions in R&D at the specialty chemicals company "Ciba" inter alia as Global Head of Research for the business segment "Plastic Additives" and as Senior Research Fellow.
Rudolf is now Division Director Plastics of the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF and Honorary Professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany.
He has over thirty years of experience in polymer synthesis, plastics and coatings additives, stabilizers, recycling, reactive extrusion, nanocomposites, flame retardants and innovation management including numerous patents and publications.
Job Titles:
- AVP - Business Development
Mr RK Gera is working as AVP-Business Development in RIL-PET Division. He joined Reliance in Dec' 97 and has handled Technical Services, Sales & Marketing, Product Development and is now responsible for the "Business Development, Recycling and Sustainability initiatives".
His focus is on ‘Application Development, Market Promotion & Sustainability' for PET. He is primarily involved in development of Indian markets for ‘Edible Oil, Milk & Dairy Products, Paint etc. & establishing new RELPET resins. He supported Amul & RoohAfza in launching their products in PET bottles in India.
He is a B-Tech in Plastics Technology from HBTI, 1985 batch. He earlier worked in LG Polymers (Product Development and Technical Services of Polystyrene and EPS) & in FGP (Technical Services & Market Development of FRP and Glass Fibre Tissue products). He was involved in developing/promoting FRP Underground Petroleum Storage Tanks among other FRP/FRTP applications.
He had been the key initiator of 2 International level seminars on ‘Packaging of Edible Oils in PET' in India in '06 and '07 in Mumbai and Agra resp. These seminars were well attended by major EO manufacturers from all-across the country & it had changed the way, Edible oils were packaged in PET in India.
He has been actively working on ‘Recycling & Sustainability' initiatives for PET. In today's conference, he will share views on ‘PET-The Sustainable Packaging Material'. He will cover ‘PET Recycling and Circular Economy' & in conclusion will update us on Reliance's participation in Sustainability Initiatives in India.
Job Titles:
- President
- President - Elect
- President - Elect, SPE India
He has presented papers at various seminars organized by professional bodies and industry associations. Responsible for setting up the first Gas Assist Injection System in India, at Philips Ltd. Calcutta. Has hands on experience in Gas Assist Injection Moulding, design and process. Business experience in all fields of Plastic Processing viz; Injection, Blow and Extrusion. Has an extensive interest for Plastic Pipes, since this subject was a passion for his Father. (A.R.Parasuraman)
He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Texas A&M University. Ravish is also a Babson Fellow and MBA from Babson College. Ravish was named one of the top 100 MBA's in 2018 by Poets and Quants and was awarded the prestigious Sorenson Merit Award by Babson College for his work on Magnomer.
Magnomer is a winner of Materials Research Society's Innovation Award & MassChallenge Gold.
Job Titles:
- Director - Sales ( Global )
Job Titles:
- Company 's Sustainability Technology Manager
- Sustainability Technology Manager
Ron Abbott is Chevron Phillips Chemical Company's Sustainability Technology Manager, responsible for advancing technical programs to advance long term global sustainability objectives. Prior to assuming this role in 2018, Abbott served as the Planning and Strategy Manager in the Corporate Planning and Development group where he oversaw the strategic planning process for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. In this role, he led a team that developed Chevron Phillips Chemical's most recent corporate strategic business plan.
Abbott began his career with Phillips Petroleum Company as a catalyst chemist. Throughout nearly three decades with Phillips Petroleum Company, Chevron Chemical Company and now Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, he has held a range of management assignments including Facility Manager for the Kingwood Research & Technology Center, Petrochemicals R&D Manager, Normal Alpha Olefins Global Product Manager and Polyethylene Catalyst R&D Manager. He has led teams that successful commercialized several key technologies including the world's first on-purpose 1-Hexene process, the Phillips ReVap alkylation process and CPChem's high viscosity PAO process. Abbott holds 26 U.S. patents in selective 1-hexene catalyst and process technology, polyethylene catalysis, advanced polymer applications and HF alkylation technology.
Abbott earned his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Vermont, his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry under F. Albert Cotton at Texas A&M University and worked as a postdoctoral research associate under Dr. Richard Lagow at The University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife Andrea have two married sons and one granddaughter, and are active in ministries addressing racial reconciliation and alleviation of extreme poverty in international communities.
Job Titles:
- President
- President of Kenrich Petrochemicals, Inc
Salvatore J. Monte, President of Kenrich Petrochemicals, Inc.; B.C.E. Manhattan College; M.S.-Polymeric Materials, NYU Tandon School of Engineering; Member Plastics Hall of Fame 2021-the Plastics Academy; Society Plastics Engineers Fellow & Honored Service Member; Licensed P.E.; Plastics Industry Association Recycle Subcommittee-Compatibilizers; Board of Governors, Plastics Pioneers Association-MTS Newsletter Chair; 32-U.S. Patents - most recent US Patent 2020/0071230 A1 dated Mar. 5, 2020; Lectured Worldwide on Titanate & Zirconate Coupling agents; 450-American Chemical Society CAS Abstracts of published "Works by S.J. Monte"; Classified Top Secret for Solid Rocket Fuel and Energetic Composites Patents for the Insensitive Munitions Program; Lifetime member of the National Defense Industrial Association; Lifetime Member of the BOD-SPE ThermoPlastics Materials & Foams Division - Annual Scholarship named: Salvatore J. Monte Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division Scholarship; External Advisory Committee-UCF NanoScience Technology Center; former Chairman of the NYRG-ACS Rubber Division; former President of the SPE P-NJ Section; Testified several times before Congress on Trade and IP Protection; Business Man of the Year 2015-Bayonne Chamber of Commerce; Federated Society Coatings Technology C. Homer Flynn Award for Technical Excellence; Recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award; Rotary Paul Harris Fellow; UA Million Miler; Member PIA, SPE, ACS, ASCE, AIChE, SAMPE, the GRAPHENE COUNCIL, the Vinyl Sustainability Council.
Sandeep Patel is an entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of NEPRA. NEPRA operates in waste management & recycling bringing in compliance for its partners for Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and lately, plays a big role in executing Extended Producer Responsibility; EPR Projects. NEPRA aims to bring in transparency and scalability in a highly unorganized Indian waste management sector, indirectly benefiting bottom of pyramid and promoting Circular Economy.
He has spent over 10 years and has built a suitable model in waste management for Indian context. He has been a speaker at IIMs and International Policy Forum - Eco Innovation systems at Berlin, Germany, and many other such forums. Sandeep also represents NEPRA in various committee that includes CII Environment committee, CII National Waste to Worth, CII Working Group on Plastic Waste Management, PlastIndia National Recycling committee and Swacch Bharat Mission - Gujarat.
He was featured in ‘Green Hero Film Festival' organized by U.S. Consulate General and TERI, Mumbai for revolutionizing dry waste collection and management in Ahmedabad. The company is recognized winner of 3R Excellence Award for waste recycling in 8th Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific- Mission Zero Waste and has stood as a finalist for prestigious awards like Seed awards, CII awards, IFC-FT, Swachh-a-thon etc.
After completing his Bachelor's In Business Administration (BBA), he did his MBA in ECommerce Strategy and Project Management from LEEDS Beckett University, UK.
Job Titles:
- Director Processing & Applications
Sebastian achieved a degree for higher education for chemical engineering at the University of Applied Science Nuremberg.
During his years of study he gained professional experience at Siemens and Macrolab in Germany. His degree dissertation was titled "Silicone-free Adhesion of High-Performance Electronic Engineering".
Since 2007 Sebastian has been with the Leistritz Extrusionstechnik GmbH as a chemical engineer. In 2011 he was appointed team manager of the Leistritz lab. His main responsibility include planning of trials and setting up extruders in terms of chemical engineering. As an expert in the field of extrusion he of course supports the sales team as well as customers. In 2013 he has been appointed Head of Process Technology, 2017 Product and Applications Manager.
Since 2020 he is responsible for all extrusion processes and applications at Leistritz Extrusion Technology in his function as Director Processing & Applications
Sebastian has been a speaker at various workshops and events of the plastics industry around the world.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Business Development Director - MENA Region
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Project Mumbai
Shishir Joshi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Project Mumbai, an award winning not for profit Public Trust. And a model of Public-Private-People participation.
Job Titles:
- Civil Engineer from Anna University
V Suresh has worked in various Government of India Expert Groups on Housing, Urban Development, Building Technologies, Disaster Mitigation and Sustainable Development. Was Chairman, Task Forces for Orissa Cyclone and Chamoli Earthquake. He was Member of Government of India Technical Advisory Group on Real Estate/Housing Price Indices.
He was Chairman of Government of Kerala Task Force on Housing, dealing with Kerala Housing & Habitat Policy and Member of Rajasthan Government Committee on State Urban Housing and Habitat Policy and Member of Government of India National Housing Policy Group on Housing Finance. He is the Member of Govt. of India Task Force on Rural Housing and Habitat.
V Suresh was President, Indian Buildings Congress (IBC), President, National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), Vice President, All India Housing Development Association (AIHDA) and Vice Chairman, Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC).
V Suresh is member of CII National Committee of Real Estate & Housing, Member of Indian Merchants' Chamber Real Estate and Infrastructure Committee, Maharashtra Economic Development Council and CREDAI, CII Panel on Urbanisation and Future Cities. He is the Member of International Property Measurement Standards - Standard Setting Committee (IPMS-SSC).
He has represented India and worked closely with UNCHS, UNIDO, UNDP, SAARC, ADB, JBIC, KfW, USAID and ADPC on various facets of Sustainable and Safe Human Settlements for different global context initiatives.
He is Consultant to National and International agencies in Sustainable Human Settlements Development.
He has received 15 distinguished awards for recognition of his work. The leading ones are: 1) "Best Chief Executive of the Year" by the National Foundation of Indian Engineers as part of NAFEN's Annual Corporate Excellence Awards in 1997, 2) "IMM Millennium Top CEO Award for Excellence" in January 2000, 3) "Man of the Decade-Habitat" International Award from Wisitex Foundation in 2000, 4) "Griha Nirman Maharishi Award" instituted by Pune Construction Engineering Research Foundation and Builders' Association of India, Pune in 2000, 5) "Eminent Engineer Award", "Architectural Engineering Award" and "Engineer of the Year", by the Institution of Engineers (India) in 1998, 2001 and 2006, 6) "Industry Doyen" Award as part of CIDC - Vishwakarma Awards 2011 and 7) "Outstanding Contribution to Real Estate Development" Award by CWI 2013.
He is a strong advocate of sustainable development and passionately pursues disaster resistant, environment friendly, ecologically appropriate and energy efficient options in built environment and the green building movement. He served as the Chairman of the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Policy and Advocacy Committee and is now the Chairman of IGBC.
He is working as President Good Governance India Foundation for good urban governance initiatives for meeting the challenges of urbanization and making smart, green and vibrant cities through work on MUNICIPALIKA +CAPEx and IIPM and Urban News Digest.
Vasudevan Suresh is a Civil Engineer from Anna University (College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai) with over 53 years of professional experience in the Housing, Infrastructure, Rural and Urban Development and Built Environment sectors.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Chief Executive Officer at RECOUP
- Director of EPRO
- Fellow of Both the Royal Society of Arts
Stuart is Chief Executive Officer at RECOUP, the cross sector membership based charity who have been leading and informing sustainable plastic resource use and recycling in the UK for 31 years.
Stuart is also the director of EPRO, the European Association of Plastic Recycling and Recovery Organisations. Since 2000, Stuart has worked on a range of strategy, research and demonstration projects to co-ordinate the plastic value chain to establish and improve plastics resource efficiency and recycling activities.
Stuart is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, with a degree in Environmental Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Director, Member Experience
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Director
- Founder
- Founder and CEO of APChemi
- Founder and Director of Agile Process Chemicals
- Founder and Director of APChemi
Suhas Dixit is the founder and CEO of APChemi. APChemi is focused on eliminating two of the world's most important problems: plastic pollution through chemical recycling and air pollution through biofuel production. Over the last 12 years, APChemi has supplied 47 projects in plastic pyrolysis and oil purification. APChemi's technology and business model is focused on converting plastic and biomass waste into high-quality oils for downstream production of circular economy plastics, retail-blended-biofuels, and sustainable chemicals. APChemi's solutions enable plastic circularity and decarbonisation using landfill plastic waste and ocean-bound plastic waste.
Inventor of over 12 patents, Suhas is passionate about developing technologies for producing high-quality liquids from plastic and biomass waste. He is equally passionate about building cross-value-chain synergies for unlocking advanced recycling of plastic waste.
Additionally, He is an insightful keynote speaker at international forums on Plastic Pyrolysis, Chemicals/Advanced Recycling, Plastic Waste Management and Sustainability. He is pursuing his Doctorate in Business Administration at the Swiss School of Business and Management - Geneva, with a focus on Advanced Recycling of Landfill and Ocean Plastic Waste.
Suhas Dixit is the founder and CEO of APChemi. APChemi is focused on eliminating 2 of the world's most important problems: Plastic Pollution through chemical recycling and Air Pollution through biofuel production.
Over the last 12 years, Suhas's company has developed a portfolio of 11 patents and commissioned over 30 projects. APChemi's technology and business model is to convert plastic and biomass waste into the required quality of oil for downstream production of circular economy plastics, retail-blendable-biofuels, and sustainable chemicals.
Suhas Dixit is the founder and director of APChemi. APChemi is leaders in pyrolysis based chemical recycling of plastic waste since last 12 years. APChemi is backed by Shell Petrochemicals as well as Dr JB Joshi Research Foundation. APChemi has established over 30 pyrolysis plants globally. APChemi promotes chemical recycling of the toughest and dirtiest plastics waste in a very transparent and sustainable manner. Suhas Dixit is an inventor of numerous patents in Pyrolysis plastics, including pyrolysis of ‘multilayer-packaging' and ‘municipal solid waste segregated plastics'. Currently, APChemi's proven technology recycles 80 metric tons of end-of-life plastic waste daily into fuels and petrochemicals. Suhas Dixit is alumni of Institute of Chemical Technology. He works form Navi Mumbai as well as London.
Suhas Dixit is the founder and director of Agile Process Chemicals also known as APChemi. He founded APChemi in 2007 with a vision to promote chemical recycling of end-of-life plastic waste in a very transparent and sustainable way. Suhas Dixit is an inventor with number of patents in the domain of Plastic and Biomass Pyrolysis. APChemi is the leading technology licensor for chemically recycling the toughest and the dirtiest of plastics, including ‘multilayer-packaging' and ‘municipal solid waste segregated plastics'. He is also Director at Greenjoules Pvt Ltd, the only company which produces Euro 6 grade diesel from Biomass Pyrolysis using APChemi technology. Today, under the leadership of Suhas Dixit, both APChemi and Greenjoules have achieved leadership status in the area of plastic and biomass pyrolysis respectively. Suhas Dixit is alumni of Institute of Chemical Technology.
Sukhdev is a Packaging Supply Chain Professional with over 18 years of experience at Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline & General Mills.
He is currently the Packaging leader at Colgate Palmolive managing Oral care & Personal care Brands.
His areas of expertise include Packaging Strategy, Design Thinking and Sustainability. He has numerous accolades to his name including The CEO Award, Worldstar Packaging and Patents. He is a regular speaker at packaging, printing forums and often writes a column in technical magazines.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager
- Program Manager for Stina Inc
Tonya Randell is a Program Manager for Stina Inc, a research and technology firm with nearly 20 years of expertise in data collection and analysis of plastic packaging recycling in North America. She currently supports work on plastic packaging recyclability and is the principal consumer liaison on film and other plastic recycling questions.
Tonya received a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University. She previously served as President of the Board of Directors for the Carolina Recycling Association, and lives in Chapel Hill, NC.
Spearheaded Co-processing initiative and established it as a business model. Ulhas has Implemented advocacy through CII to include co-processing in Indian Policy framework, and served as an expert Member on several committees constituted by Govt of India and state governments.
As Ocean Ambassador of the Netherlands, Willemijn Peeters is a renowned international speaker on circular plastics.
Being highly committed to preventing plastics from ending up in our environment, Willemijn founded Searious Business, a social enterprise that works together with highly motivated international brands to close the plastic loop in 3 impact sectors: (food)packaging, furniture, consumer electronics.
Mr De Vos currently holds several non-executive board positions and is a management advisor to some SME companies and scientific/industry institutions.