News

Welcome to the third instalment of our run-down of the most influential people in the UK packaging industry.

Each Wednesday until 1 July, when the July issue of Packaging News is published, we will reveal the next 10 people to have made the list. The top 10 will be unveiled on 1 July.

Click here to see numbers 50-41
Click here to see numbers 40-31
Click here to see numbers 20-11
Click here to see the top 10

30 Tony Lennon (23)
Chief executive, Paragon Print and Packaging
Described as a business visionary by an industry colleague, Tony Lennon has steadily built up the company he founded, Paragon Print and Packaging, over the past 15 years. Paragon now has seven manufacturing facilities in the UK and produces a wide range of self-adhesive labels and fresh food packaging products.

In the past year, the firm has opened a new £5m dedicated sleeve and carton production plant in Cambridgeshire and continues its environmental focus via a label-waste recycling scheme.

Despite the recession forcing his hand to making redundancies at plants across the country earlier this year, Lennon’s dedication to excellent customer service has ensured the company continues to grow.

29 Clive Bowers (NEW)
Chief executive, Smurfit Kappa UK Corrugated
It is fair to say the corrugated market has taken a bit of a battering over the past 12 months. The difficult trading conditions have meant that Smurfit Kappa’s Bowers has been faced with falling volumes, over-capacity within the sector, price competition, while continuing to communicate the company’s green message. All of which was reflected in the group’s first-quarter results which reported a year-on-year 30% drop to €180m (£157m) in EBITDA.

Bowers’ time is split between Smurfit Kappa and his other role as chairman of the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), which he assumed in December 2008. In this role he has actively addressed the woes of the corrugated sector and recently rallied the troops in a column for Packaging News. "We have a good story to tell and we are determined to tell it," he said.

28 Chris Dow (29)
Managing director, Closed Loop
Only a small move up the rankings, but what a year it’s been for the infectiously enthusiastic Chris Dow. The Australian’s first food-grade plastic recycling plant opened for business in east London, ground was broken on a second facility in north Wales and plans are underway for a third site. Not only that, but Dow has welcomed visitors from every area of packaging – even former waste minister Jane Kennedy – to the Dagenham site, and has appeared in a number of very favourable articles in the national media. One observer praises Dow for his success in getting clear messages from the big brands – and with Coca-Cola, Marks & Spencer and milk bottle producer Nampak Plastics on board, you can’t argue with that. In terms of carrying the recycling message for the industry, Dow is the man.

27 Peter Atkinson (28)
Chief executive, Macfarlane Group
With massively fluctuating oil prices, a chaotic week of snow and the recession to deal with in the past year, you’d forgive the head of a distribution business for getting a little hot under the collar. But not Peter Atkinson. As calm-headed a chief executive as you can imagine – at least, in his presentations to journalists and analysts – Atkinson has led Macfarlane to another record year financially, taking turnover to more than £130m and increasing pre-tax profit by 50%. The secret, Atkinson has argued, was to recognise the coming recession early: without much fuss, he set about a tough cost-cutting process at the start of last summer which stood the company in better stead than many for the downturn. Macfarlane’s acquisition of Allpoint Packaging in October, meanwhile, has opened supply channels in the Far East.

26 Jonathan Sands (27)
Chairman, Elmwood
Jonathan Sands has been with Elmwood for more than 30 years and has developed it into the global business it is today. Sands’ work takes him all around the world, speaking at international design and business conferences.

Elmwood works with global brands such as Nestlé and Durex, and is Asda’s ‘brand guardian’.

"An inspirational business leader who always seems to be one step ahead of the curve," is how one insider describes him.

25 David Tyson (20)
Chief executive, Packaging and Films Association
David Tyson has done much to raise Pafa’s profile in recent years. The organisation’s opinion carries a great deal of weight and it can now discuss issues with the government on an equal footing. In recent months, Tyson has stepped up to the plate to call for greater support for manufacturing and for greater protection of credit insurance.

With one eye on the environment, Pafa is also running a successful scheme to help firms claim rebates from the Climate Change levy. And, although supermarkets are cutting carrier bag use dramatically, Tyson continues to work tirelessly to promote plastic packaging products. An industry colleague says: David deserves his place on the list for battling for his members and cheerfully surviving a horrific onslaught of deliberately misinformed propaganda.

24 Tom Reid (31)
Nampak Europe, managing director
Tom Reid is a blokes’ bloke. A contact sports fan and social skier, the South African cuts an imposing figure at over six feet tall. However, meet the man and his intimidating appearance quickly makes way for a friendly demeanour and dedication to the development of Nampak Europe, upon meeting him.

Tom Reid has made big changes to Nampak Europe since taking over the healm, says one source. Some tough decisions have had to be made and the business seems to be going from strength to strength. These have included not rebuilding the Thorpe cartons facility that was destroyed by fire last year.

Unsurprisingly, Nampak took a bit of a hit in its results for the first half of 2009, as a result of raw material prices, exchange rates and falling sales. However, it is clear that Reid is taking decisive action to secure the future of the European business.

23 John Langlands (17)
Chief executive, British Polythene Industries
It’s been another turbulent year for BPI, with carrier bags in the headlines, the recession hitting demand for industrial stretchwrapping, and the closure of the firm’s Cowdenbeath and Stockton-on-Tees plants. However, the group expects its financial results for the first half of 2009 to be better than the same period last year.

Despite the challenges, Langlands remains popular with staff. "He’s lovely, that’s all you need to say," says a company employee.

Langlands joined BPI in 1994 and was involved in the successful defence of a hostile takeover bid. He has completed more than 30 acquisitions and disposals. In 2002, he was awarded the Bank of Scotland’s Scottish Finance Director of the Year.

22 Mark Kerridge (19)
Benson Group, managing director
Mark has a very clear objective of what he wants to do with the business and he pursues it relentlessly, says one industry-watcher. And if the last 12 months are anything to go by, they have a point.

Since he took on the top job at Benson group in 2002, Kerridge has built the company into an £85m cartons powerhouse. The last year has been no exception – in December, Kerridge swooped to buy assets and order book of liquidation-hit food packaging business Cameron Linn in Glasgow, a move that illustrated his decisiveness.

Benson’s success over the year, including a major investment at the Medica site in Cheshire, has spurred on rumours of further acquisitions in the pharmaceutical arena – watch this space.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep Kerridge busy, he crowned the year by clearing up at November’s UK Packaging Awards, beating Staeger Clear Packaging to the top prize of Packaging Company of the Year, as well as best winning the best cartonboard packaging category.

21 Peter Davis (22)
Director general, British Plastics Federation
Against the onslaught of media-fuelled negative public opinion, plastic packaging is fortunate to have a number of talented people fighting its cause, and none more so than BPF director general Peter Davis.

Davis uses his well-honed diplomatic skills and political connections to ensure that plastics get a fair crack of the whip, and has spoken out on the need for energy from waste to help mitigate high energy prices and the importance of good recycling facilities.

The BPF is also set to launch its Plastics 2020 Challenge in July, in collaboration with Pafa and Plastics Europe, to promote a better understanding of plastics and encourage debate on areas such as recycling and energy from waste.

A former London borough councillor, Davis was awarded an OBE for his public and political service in 1993. Says an industry observer: "Peter is knowledgeable, clear-thinking and enormously influential across a broad spectrum of packaging activities."

Next week: numbers 20-11

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