News

This week, www.packagingnews.co.uk features numbers 40 to 31 in our countdown of the 50 most influential people in the UK packaging industry, before publishing the full Power 50 in the July issue of Packaging News magazine.

40. Dominic Walsh, chief executive, MSO Group (Last year's position - 39)

He buys, he sells. Contrast the much-trumpeted acquisition last year of Labelsco to boost MSO's food and private label interest, against the more recent sotto voce divestment of the Storey Evans carton business to an MBO team. A regional finalist in Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year awards, Walsh also headed up Belfast's successful bid to collar the World Police and Fire Games for 2013. According to one industry observer, the local craic is that the Irish industry's roaring boyo is now more interested in politics than packaging. Watch this space.

39. Declan O'Sullivan, managing director, Sharp Interpack (37)

Declan O'Sullivan has a firm grasp of the financial controls at Sharp Interpack and in March the company completed the refurbishment of its second factory at the site in Yate, Bristol. He views R-Apet plastic as the material of the future for soft fruit punnets and has invested £2m in new machinery to produce packaging with a recycled content of up to 60%. "Declan is a tad shy and self-effacing, but has a clever touch with people," says an industry colleague.

38. Gary McGann, chief executive, Smurfit Kappa (36)

Gary McGann has been the main driver of Smurfit Kappa Group's rationalisation in Europe. The firm implemented three recycled containerboard price increases last year to combat rising raw materials and energy costs and turned a loss of €143m into a pre-tax profit of €170 (£126m). Turnover rose by 4.3% to €7.3m. McGann also sold SKG's 40% stake in Duropack, a corrugated business with operations in Austria, Germany and Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, to Constantia in May.

37. Peter Heath, managing director, Easyfairs UK (38)

A cracking good show at the NEC in March has firmly established the Easyfairs model in the UK packaging industry. Visitor attendance rose 118%, much to the gratitude of a steadily building number of exhibitors, one of whom said: "He's a strong character, but even so must have been pleasantly surprised at how well it went." Not averse to rolling up his sleeves and getting stuck in, Heath was spotted manning the audience mike at more than one of the show seminars Q&As.

36. Eric Illsley MP, chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Packaging (NEW ENTRY)

It's not surprising that one packaging source says Illsley has a "good understanding of our industry, the challenges that it faces and the good that it does". After all, the Barnsley Central constituency he has served for more than 20 years is also home to Ardagh Glass. Described as "politically fearless", Illsley, a member of the Caravan Club Council and former National Union of Mineworkers official, has secured parliamentary debates on packaging and also led opposition to the Bill to ban single-use carrier bags in London.

35. Brian Miller, UK managing director, SCA Packaging (33)

Miller has slipped a couple of positions this year as rising energy and material costs have rocked profits at SCA. SCA Packaging operates 38 sites in eight divisions across the UK and Ireland, and Miller has driven the company's strong focus on retail-ready packaging. He is hesitant to take the limelight and keeps a "very low" profile, according to colleagues, who explain that Miller doesn't like to promote himself over the company.

34. Chris Buxton, chief executive, Processing and Packaging Machinery Association (34)

Expect a few nifty guitar riffs from jazz enthusiast Chris Buxton at the PPMA's 21^st anniversary this September. The association's 350-strong membership now enjoys representation in China, with India and Dubai tipped to follow. Despite working all the hours God sends and then some, Buxton recently still found time to build a chicken run in his garden. A colleague says: "When he came on board it was rather like the arrival of a new vicar in the village, but he's fitted in a treat, and is a great asset."

33. Karen Graley, packaging and reprographics manager, Waitrose (NEW ENTRY)

Praised by one industry source for her "sensible and balanced" approach to packaging, Graley is a former employee of Safeway, spending 12 of her 21 years in design and repro at the firm before joining Waitrose almost four years ago. At Waitrose she manages the design-to-print process for 3,000-5,000 own-label lines a year, as well as Waitrose's core supply base of repro houses and packaging procurement for fruit, vegetables and horticulture. She also represented Waitrose in the development of the British Retail Consortium's common recycling logos for retail packaging. In her spare time Graley enjoys playing sport, cooking and entertaining, and spends as much time as possible with her four nieces and nephews.

32. Nick Mullen, director, Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (NEW ENTRY)

Nick Mullen returns to the Power 50, albeit in a new role. Having taken early retirement from Crown, he took over from Tony Woods at the helm of the MPMA in January. Mullen is pushing for a more proactive approach to the media, but is determined not to get into a materials war by criticising other pack formats - as underlined by his deft handling when newspapers announced the ‘end of the can'.

31. Tom Reid, managing director, Nampak Europe (NEW)

Tom Reid's promotion to lead Nampak's entire European business with 23 sties came after he gained a broad perspective of the group's operations. The South African joined Nampak in 1990 in marketing before being appointed managing director of Foodcan followed by Nampak Corrugated. Reid relocated to the UK with his family in 2003 to become managing director of Nampak Plastics Europe, where his main focus was on the milk industry. "He's direct, open, perceptive and challenging," says a former colleague. Nampak's European turnover was ZAR2.7bn (£175m) in the six months to 31 March 2008 and trading is difficult, but Reid's a "tough guy and the right guy to deal with it".