Pro Carton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard manufacturers, has appointed Andreas Birmoser, Executive Vice President, Cartonboard at Stora Enso, as its new President.

Birmoser succeeds Michele Bianchi, CEO of RDM Group, who has served as President for the past four years. During this time, Pro Carton navigated a period of significant change, including the integration of another cartonboard association and evolving into a 360° industry body. This came as policymakers and businesses prepared for the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

With more than 20 years’ experience in the forest and cartonboard industry, Birmoser brings extensive international leadership spanning strategy, commercial development and operational management. In his current role as Executive Vice President, Cartonboard at Stora Enso, he is responsible for the company’s global cartonboard business. Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership positions across Europe and South America, including CEO of Veracel Celulose, and has played a key role in driving business transformation and sustainable growth.

As President, Birmoser will work alongside the Pro Carton Board to strengthen collaboration across the value chain. They will continue to champion fibre-based packaging and ensure Pro Carton remains a trusted voice in shaping science- and fact-based policies that support competitiveness and sustainability.

Elopak’s Board of Directors announce the appointment of Håkon Volldal as new CEO. Today, Volldal serves as President and CEO of Nel ASA. Before that, he has held the position as CEO of Q-Free and several senior leadership roles at TOMRA, including as position as Executive Vice President and Head of TOMRA Collection Solutions. Volldal holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The effective date of his appointment will be agreed in due course, and no later than the beginning of January, 2027.

“Håkon brings extensive leadership experience from listed industrial technology companies, including as President and CEO of Nel and Head of TOMRA Collection Solutions, both companies with a clear growth agenda advancing innovation and sustainability based on systemic, societal market shifts. His track record in scaling engineering led businesses, driving operational improvement and leading transformation makes him well qualified to lead Elopak through its next phase of growth, innovation and sustainability supporting the company’s strategy,” says Chair of the Board, Dag Mejdell.

Together with the rest of the Elopak Management Team, Bent Kilsund Axelsen will continue to lead the company with direction and stability as interim CEO until Volldal assumes the role. Thereafter, Axelsen and interim CFO, Ola Buarøy, will return to their respective roles as CFO and Director Finance and Tax.

The Board of Directors of SIG and Samuel Sigrist have mutually agreed on Samuel stepping down from his position as SIG’s Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. The Board seeks new leadership to steer the Company through its next phase.

The Board has appointed Ann-Kristin Erkens as interim CEO of SIG. Ann-Kristin assumes this position with immediate effect while continuing to serve as SIG’s Chief Financial Officer.

Ola Rollén, Chair of the Board, said: “We have a new board composition at SIG since this year’s AGM in April. The Board has used that time to review the strategy of the Company and we are confident that there is potential to accelerate growth and deliver improved performance. We are now looking to step change our execution with new leadership. Hence the Board has initiated the process of recruiting a new CEO. In the meantime, day-to-day operations will be overseen by Ann-Kristin Erkens, with the full support of myself and the Board. The Board would like to thank Samuel Sigrist for his 20-year tenure with SIG and his last 4.5 years as CEO. Samuel has made many positive contributions to the results and strategy of the Company. The Board wishes him every success for the future.”

Expanded mandate of the former Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE), and EXTR:ACT, welcomes an accomplished sustainability and policy leader to drive forward an accelerated agenda for fibre-based food and beverage packaging.

The Food and Beverage Carton Alliance (FBCA) to announced the appointment of Sebastian Bartels as its new Director General. A recognised leader in sustainability, Bartels brings two decades of international experience driving strategic change across a wide range of industries. He joins FBCA at a pivotal moment, as the Alliance expands beyond Europe into its global role in building resilient food and beverage systems and advancing the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy.

“We are excited to welcome Sebastian,” said Patrick Verhelst, President of the Board of FBCA. “His deep expertise in sustainability and broad experience across sectors and geographies make him the right person to lead FBCA’s next chapter. We are confident he will amplify the Alliance’s impact and its future reach beyond EU-from grassroots engagement to international policy dialogue and circular value chain data expertise.”

Bartels brings a wealth of experience in leadership across sectors including manufacturing, logistics, packaging, FMCG, and energy-gaining firsthand insight into operational and sustainability challenges across diverse markets. He has held senior roles in several countries and is known for his collaborative approach across business, policy, and civil society.

Most recently, he led the Sustainability Services focus area at DEKRA, overseeing a global portfolio of more than 500 services that support clients in sustainable business practices, product sustainability, and the energy transition. Prior to that, he served as Head of Global Quality & Safety Strategy at the global transportation, logistics, and infrastructure group Deutsche Bahn, where he was responsible for international governance in risk, safety, and quality management.

In addition to his business background, Bartels brings political and civil service experience, including six years as an elected city councillor and leadership roles in national and international industry bodies.

“Joining FBCA is a tremendous opportunity,” said Bartels. “Food and beverage cartons play a critical role in reducing waste and supporting secure, low-carbon food systems. I look forward to working with our members to strengthen the industry’s global voice and accelerate innovation across the value chain.”

His appointment marks a new phase of strategic growth for FBCA, reinforcing its mission to promote safe, circular, and sustainable packaging with purpose solutions in Europe and across key international markets.

About FBCA
The Food and Beverage Carton Alliance (FBCA) is a global platform uniting food and beverage carton manufacturers and their paperboard suppliers. Formed from the merger of ACE and EXTR:ACT, FBCA advocates for food and beverage cartons as safe, circular, and sustainable packaging solutions that contribute to resilient food systems and low-carbon, circular economies.

Having joined Tetra Pak more than 24 years ago, Sara has delivered countless innovations across solutions development, programme management, and equipment engineering for the company and its food and beverage customers. Her mandate in the new role is to develop and deliver innovative solutions with the highest value for customers, collaborate across the business to accelerate their deployment, and fast-track the work to realise the company’s ambition to deliver the world’s most sustainable paper-based food and beverage package¹.

She is based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and is a member of the Tetra Pak Executive Leadership Team, reporting to Adolfo Orive, President & CEO.

Holding a Master’s Degree in Industrial Design from the University of Florence and a Post-graduation Master’s in Technology and Innovation Management from the University of Bologna, Sara joined Tetra Pak in 2001 as an industrial designer for carton packaging opening systems. Her technical, relational and collaborative skills led her to become Managing Director for Tetra Pak Packaging Solutions S.p.A. in Modena, Italy, a research and development centre, and Vice President of Programme Management in D&T.

Sara De Simoni, Executive Vice President Development & Technology (D&T) at Tetra Pak, comments: “Tetra Pak D&T brings together an exceptionally talented team of designers, of doers, of people who make things happen. I am proud to be leading them in our journey to shape the future of food packaging, and I see this as an opportunity to drive forward our pursuit of innovation, design excellence and groundbreaking sustainable solutions. We will continue to focus on delivering those solutions for our customers, who are at the centre of everything we do.”

¹A carton package made of renewable or recycled materials, which are responsibly sourced, therefore helping protect and restore our planet’s climate, resources and biodiversity; contributing towards low carbon production and distribution; convenient and safe, therefore helping to enable a resilient food system; fully recyclable.

The Tetra Laval Group Board has appointed Pietro Cassani as President & CEO of Sidel effective 15 July 2024. Pietro will be based in Parma, Italy. The appointment follows the decision by Monica Gimre to step down after more than five years as President & CEO of Sidel and 41 years in total with the Tetra Laval Group.

Pietro has been CEO of the Marchesini Group for the past eight years, and before that spent over 10 years as Group General Manager of SACMI. In total he has over 30 years of business and engineering experience. He holds an Engineering degree from the University of Bologna, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the SDA Bocconi School of Management.

BENEO, a leading manufacturer of functional ingredients for food, feed and pharma announced the appointment of Dr Mike Eberle as the newest member of its Executive Board of Directors at BENEO GmbH, effective from 1st March 2024. In his new role, Eberle will be responsible for overseeing Operations at BENEO.

Eberle, who holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, brings nearly three decades of experience within the international food and beverage sector to the new role. He started his career with positions at Unilever in both Germany and The Netherlands. Following this, he has held leadership roles in production, supply chain, logistics, and operations at leading food and drink manufacturers. Most recently, Eberle was positioned as the Chief Operations Officer at Rotkäppchen, a sparkling wine producer based in Germany.

As part of the new role at BENEO, Eberle will be responsible for Operations including production, technology, supply chain management, quality, raw material, health, safety and environmental protection, as well as sustainability. His appointment comes at a pivotal time as BENEO continues to focus on the sustainable development of its plant-based functional ingredients portfolio.