International Safe Transit Association

Event Speakers

Chris Anderson

Cardinal Health

Director, Quality and Regulatory Affairs

Chris Anderson
Chris Anderson is a recognized leader in pharmaceutical quality systems (QS) and cold chain logistics, currently serving as Director of Quality Management at Cardinal Health. With a strong background in developing and implementing wholesale drug quality systems, he has led award-winning initiatives in temperature management and cold chain packaging, receiving four industry awards for innovations that ensure patient safety. At Cardinal Health, his responsibilities span temperature-controlled packaging qualification, temperature storage, excursion management, quality management systems, QS analytics, specialty pharmaceutical distribution compliance, and compliance with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).

Anderson plays a vital role in shaping industry standards through his work with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), where he serves on the Packaging and Distribution Expert Committee and co-chairs the GDP Storage and Transportation sub-committee. He has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed stimuli articles and contributed to new and revised USP chapters related to temperature excursion management, storage qualification, and transportation lane qualification. Additionally, he serves on the Pharma Board of the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA), where he helped develop best practice guidelines for temperature-controlled shipping systems.

Outside of his professional work, Anderson is a former board member and photography instructor at a local arts center. A passionate landscape, lifestyle, and street photographer, he is also an aspiring classical guitarist, avid outdoorsman, and proud father and grandfather.
Ricardo Badía

Johnson & Johnson

Project Manager Temperature Control Support center

Ricardo Badía
Tey Bannerman

McKinsey & Company

Partner & Head of AI Product Innovation

Tey Bannerman
Tey Bannerman is a strategic innovation advisor who helps organisations implement AI and design solutions that deliver measurable business impact. With over two decades of experience spanning software engineering, product design, and business strategy, Tey brings a unique perspective on how emerging technologies can transform traditional industries. As a Partner and head of McKinsey's European design practice, he led groundbreaking work in AI-driven innovation across multiple sectors. Tey specialises in bridging technical possibilities with practical implementation, helping organisations move beyond theoretical AI applications to create solutions that address real business challenges. A frequent speaker on the practical applications of AI in traditional industries, Tey brings insights from his extensive hands-on work revolutionising how organisations approach automation, quality control, and sustainable innovation.
Frank Blaznik

Electrolux Rothenburg GmbH

Global Module Area Expert - Packaging

Frank Blaznik
Frank Blaznik has graduated as mechanical engineer and is currently working as a Global Module Area Expert for Packaging. In this function he is globally the first point of contact for any person and department related to any packaging topics. Consulting, supporting and providing guidance to all R&D teams is also part of his current responsibility. As owner of the Global Electrolux Packaging Test Specification, he drives and facilitates frequently updates to improve the packaging performance and to follow actual trends.
With his expertise of more than five years working in the Electrolux Core Team, he contributes to define future company standards for alternative packaging solutions other than plastics, analyzing environmental impacts etc.
In his former role as a Global Product Architect, Frank gained a strong knowledge in Complexity and Variant Management aiming for standardized product architectures and modular product design. Being 6 years in this function, he defined global standards for modular mechanical design solutions, standardized interfaces, sharing best practice solutions and drove cost out opportunities.
Additionally, Frank also gained experience as Mechanical Designer, Project Leader and Process Implementation & Kaizen Leader.
His hands-on attitude is kept since he started his professional career as an industrial mechanic of high precision.
Bryan Cardis

Cold Chain Technologies

Senior Director

Bryan Cardis
Bryan is Graduate of Michigan State University with a Degree in Packaging with over 23 years of experience in temperature-controlled packaging development, warehousing, transportation, and logistics. Bryan is an active member of the ISTA Pharma Committee engaged in industry collaboration, creating industry best practice guidance documents, and driving industry standardization. Formerly, Bryan worked at Eli Lilly and Company for 18 years serving as a Senior Advisor for Global Packaging and the Temperature Controlled Center of Excellence enhancing global temperature-controlled solutions and distribution and logistics processes. Currently, Bryan is the Sr. Director of Technical Services for Cold Chain Technologies focusing on providing extensive pharma background and expertise to aid in development of cost-effective thermal solutions that meet customer safety, environmental, regulatory, and quality requirements.
Daniel Castillo

BCN Drone Center

Chief Commercial Officer

Daniel Castillo
Antonella Cavazza

University of Parma

Associate professor

Antonella Cavazza
Degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology in 1995. Afterwards research activity at the Institute of Chromatography of Rome. In 1998 one year at the School of Chemistry of the University of Leeds (UK). From 1999 contract at the Department of Neuroscience of the University of Rome “Tor Vergataâ€. In 2007 researcher and then associate professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Parma. From 2020 President of the Master in Packaging. Vice-director of Interdepartmental Center for Packaging CIPACK (University of Parma).
Research interests: Development of analytical methods based on chromatography and mass spectrometry for the evaluation of food quality, safety, and shelf-life; Evaluation of contaminants from food contact materials and packaging; Studies on material degradation during ageing; Development and characterization of innovative materials for active and sustainable packaging in the circulary economy context. Use of agricultural byproducts as new source for biobased materials and extraction of bioactive compounds.
Authors of about 80 scientific articles and more than 100 communication at congresses.
Stefano Corna

Grifal S.p.A.

R&D and Technical Manager

Stefano Corna
Stefano Corna, who has been with Grifal for over 20 years, is Head of the Technical & Design Area where he coordinates a team of 8 people dedicated to technical consulting and the development of innovative, sustainable and customized packaging solutions.
In his role, Stefano leads the in-depth analysis of product characteristics and client company objectives through data collection, testing and prototyping, and transforms this information into targeted packaging designs
Eve De Clerk

Smithers

Senior Commissioning Editor

Eve De Clerk
Eve has worked at Smithers for 6 years and in that time has worked on across several industries from which she has gained a broad understanding of the key drivers and trends in the packaging market and the subsequent implications across the supply chain. At Smithers she is responsible for the production and publication of all market reports across 7 key industries.
Girts Derums

Stora Enso

Head of PackTester & Design Team Lead

Girts Derums
A seasoned packaging professional with a mechanical engineering background and over a decade of experience in the corrugated and renewable materials industry, I’ve held diverse roles ranging from packaging designer and engineer to project manager and innovation lead. I led the development of Stora Enso’s first and only transport testing laboratory in the European region - an initiative that has significantly enhanced our in-house capabilities and innovation potential.

Throughout my career, I’ve contributed to the development of patented design solutions, the implementation of digital tools for packaging innovation, and the advancement of testing capabilities, as well as co-developed business strategies for design and testing-related value-added services. In my current role, I run the test lab, support local European units with centralized testing services, and lead a team of structural packaging designers to deliver smarter, more sustainable solutions for our customers.
Felix Fabel

Moderna

Sr. Manager Logistics Operations Hub

Felix Fabel
Jorge Ferrer

Safe Load Testing Technologies

Sales Manager

Jorge Ferrer
Jorge Ferrer is Sales Manager at Safe Load Testing Technologies, where he combines technical expertise with a strategic approach to help companies overcome packaging and transport challenges. With solid experience in sales and project management, he plays a key role in delivering innovative solutions tailored to the needs of each industry.
Kurt Garrez

Federale Highway Police Belgium

First chief inspector

Kurt Garrez
Starting my career in 1995 as a gendarme with the then-Royal Gendarmerie, I have been a dedicated member of the Federal Highway Police since 2000. Within the Highway Police, I participated in various networks covering topics such as tachographs, exceptional transport, waste transport, and social dumping. For the past decade, I have proudly served as the Chairman of the Cargo Securing Network.

During this period, I have substantially expanded and strengthened the network. My focus has been on providing training sessions for various inspection services, organizing monthly joint controls, and broadening our collective knowledge. Furthermore, I have worked to foster successful collaborations with our partners, which was a significant challenge given the complexity of the Belgian state structure. Despite this, our efforts have been rewarded with legislation we can truly be proud of, reflecting our concerns. Approximately five years ago, I was also invited to be an honorary member of EUMOS, and I have received an award for my meritorious service in road safety within the police force.
Marta Garrido Garcia

ITENE

Project Manager

Marta Garrido Garcia
Lore Gielkens

Hasselt University

Master student

Lore Gielkens
Industrial Engineer in Chemistry (Food & Packaging) at UHasselt & KU Leuven
A.J. Gruber

ISTA

President & CEO

A.J. Gruber
Mr. Gruber is President & CEO of the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA), an association focused on minimizing product damage throughout distribution and optimizing resource usage through effective package design. He also serves as President of the ISTA Educational Foundation. Prior to joining ISTA as the VP Technical in 2012, Mr. Gruber spent 6 years focused on the specific concerns of transport packaging and dangerous goods at UPS where he led the development of the UPS Eco Responsible Packaging Program. His various industry activities include the Editorial Board for the Journal of Applied Packaging Research (JAPR), Cal Poly Industry Advisory Board, and the Cal Poly Research Consortium.
Md Abu Hasan

ISC Labs, ThermoSafe Brands

Engineering Manager

Md Abu Hasan
Dr. Hasan is an accomplished engineering leader with extensive experience in the medical device and packaging industries. Currently, he serves as an Engineering Manager at Sonoco ThermoSafe. Prior to joining Sonoco ThermoSafe, Dr. Hasan held various positions in research and development and product development within the medical device and packaging sectors. He possesses deep expertise in advanced computational modeling and is a strong advocate for sustainable packaging solutions. Dr. Hasan holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Eric Hiser

ISTA

VP of Standards & Certification

Eric Hiser
Eric Hiser is Vice President of Standards & Certification at International Safe Transit Association (ISTA). He manages the ISTA Standards Council including all technical activities, development and maintenance of ISTA Procedures and Projects, and ISTA Certification programs for labs, packaged-products and people. Eric is a graduate of the Michigan State University School of Packaging with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Packaging. He has an extensive background in transport packaging performance testing as well as developing packaging for the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market.
Maarten Kleverlaan

Topa Institute

Technical Solutions Manager

Maarten Kleverlaan
Maarten Kleverlaan is responsible for Topa Thermal's technical service, while problem-solving and innovating solutions to meet the thermal packaging needs of customers in the life sciences cold chain. Maarten has more than 20 years' experience in packaging design and development, and simulating the physical and thermal distribution tests experienced by a package during transport. His particular focus is reducing CO2 impact, optimising thermal packaging solutions to reduce waste and cost, and designing, testing and validating for total cost of ownership. This includes looking at packing time and design simplicity, size of container as well as optimising suitability and performance of packaging design throughout a product's journey from manufacture to last mile and patient. Maarten has a Post Graduate diploma in Industrial Engineering & Management and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He is an ISTA Technician and Technologist, an established trainer on insulated packaging and testing, and serves on several technical and industry committees including PDA, IATA, ISTA and Pharma.Aero.
Kevin Marchetti

TransPak

Packaging Engineer

Kevin Marchetti
Kevin is a packaging design engineer based in Penang, Malaysia with TransPak. Kevin is responsible for supporting packaging initiatives with Asia-based NPI as well as product transfer into Asia. Kevin has focused on developing suppliers in the region, as well as accessing local and regional capabilities in order to best understand how to support operations in the region. Prior to working with TransPak, Kevin was a packaging engineer at Amazon Lab 126 in Sunnyvale, as well as a regional packaging engineer with L&E International, Ltd., in Bangkok, Thailand. Kevin graduated from Cal Poly SLO in 2018.
Brian O'Banion

ISTA

VP of Research

Brian O'Banion
Brian holds a Master of Administrative Science degree from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Brian has nearly 20 years of trade association management experience addressing packaging industry issues in a wide variety of areas, including technical, environmental, health, safety, RFID, competing materials, and sustainability. He also has notable experience within the global food and beverage packaging technologies space. As ISTA’s Vice President of Research, Brian plays a critical role in establishing and executing the association’s long-range strategy and vision for research programs.
Richard Peck

OnAsset Intelligence Inc

Global Director, Quality & Compliance

Richard Peck
Temperature-Controlled Supply Chain & Logistics. Responsible Person (RP) and GDP Expert. Sustainability Champion. Strategy Development. Non-Executive Director. Charity Advisor.
Anthony (TJ) Rizzo

Cold Chain Technologies

Chief Commercial Officer

Anthony (TJ) Rizzo
ISTA Pharma Committee Immediate Past Chair

Anthony (TJ) Rizzo is responsible for the development and execution of CCT’s commercial strategy while also providing leadership, coordination, and financial oversight of the global business units and regional commercial teams. Additionally, he is a significant driver for CCT’s continued geographic expansion as well as new product and services introductions. TJ has made significant contributions to the growth of CCT over the last 19 years globally and has been instrumental in leading the development and deployment of CCT’s reusable and sustainable strategy.

TJ received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and has his Master of Business Administration in Management from University of Massachusetts Amherst. Additionally, he is a founding member and chair of the ISTA Pharma Committee. TJ is an expert member of the Parental Drug Association (PDA) Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Interest Group (PCCIG) as a co-author on PDA Technical Reports 39, 46, and 52, as well as on the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) within International Standards Organization (ISO).
Stuart Roberts

Strebor Consultancy

Consultant

Stuart Roberts
With over 50 years experience in the protective packaging market - expertise in design, sales and marketing. 45 years at Sealed Air launching new products to market. Long term ISTA Europe board member and holding position of immediate past chair
Matt Thompson

ISTA

VP of Program & Market Development

Matt Thompson
Matt has a Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging from San Jose State University in California. Matt began his career in packaging right out of college working for Sealed Air Corporation. Over 29 years at Sealed Air, Matt started out as a Packaging Engineer and Packaging Design & Test Lab Manager. He worked his way up from there into many different positions in global marketing, business management, product development, digital transformation and research & development. Matt now works for ISTA focusing on development and growth of ISTA’s education and digital platforms. Matt’s career in the packaging industry began in 1991 in California. He relocated with his family to Connecticut in 2000 where he lived for 16 years before relocating again to North Carolina in 2016 where he still lives today.
Gerard van den Boogaard

Smurfit Westrock Development Centre

Program Director Supply Chain Innovations

Gerard van den Boogaard
Loïc Vandermeeren

KWiiD

CEO

Loïc Vandermeeren
Ben VanderPlas

Sonoco ThermoSafe

Director of Engineering and R&D

Ben VanderPlas
Ben VanderPlas holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Packaging from Michigan State University and a Masters in Engineering Management Degree from Northwestern University. He retains a lifetime Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) designation from the Institute of Packaging Professionals. During his career Ben has held various functional roles including sales, marketing, product management, and engineering. Today he is responsible for the leadership of Sonoco ThermoSafe’s Engineering and R&D teams.
Arjan Voshart

Topa Institute

Manager

Arjan Voshart
With over 30 years of experience in packaging development and optimization, Arjan Voshart leads the Topa Institute as Test Centre Manager. He specializes in designing smarter, more sustainable packaging solutions that reduce material use without compromising performance. Arjan’s multidisciplinary approach brings together design, testing, and innovation under one roof, enabling faster development and qualification. He works closely with pharmaceutical clients to solve complex packaging challenges with tailored, data-driven solutions. His mission: achieve maximum protection with minimal packaging impact.
Arjan completed multiple advanced programs in packaging technology through the NVC (Netherlands Packaging Centre), strengthening his expertise in material efficiency and process improvement.
Kristian Williams

Cold Chain Technologies

Senior Director of Sales - EMEA & APAC

Kristian Williams
Matilda Wilson

Merck & Co.

Packaging, Specialist Engineering

Matilda Wilson
Lina Wimmer

Circular Analytics TK GmbH

Senior Consultant Circularity

Lina Wimmer
Lina Wimmer is Senior Consultant Circularity at Circular Analytics, holding a degree in Packaging Technology and Sustainability. Lina's career is distinguished by a strong blend of consultancy, research, and regulatory experience. She excels in guiding organisations through the intricacies of sustainable packaging, helping them meet legal requirements and achieve their environmental objectives. Her responsibilities include advising clients on recyclability, Design for Recycling, and best practices, as well as conducting detailed analyses and keeping up with evolving regulations to ensure compliance and drive innovative solutions.

Speakers for 2025 ISTA Forum EUROPE

Event Speakers

Chris Anderson

Ricardo Badía

Tey Bannerman

Frank Blaznik

Bryan Cardis

Daniel Castillo

Antonella Cavazza

Stefano Corna

Eve De Clerk

Girts Derums

Felix Fabel

Jorge Ferrer

Kurt Garrez

Marta Garrido Garcia

Lore Gielkens

A.J. Gruber

Md Abu Hasan

Eric Hiser

Maarten Kleverlaan

Kevin Marchetti

Brian O'Banion

Richard Peck

Anthony (TJ) Rizzo

Stuart Roberts

Matt Thompson

Gerard van den Boogaard

Loïc Vandermeeren

Ben VanderPlas

Arjan Voshart

Kristian Williams

Matilda Wilson

Lina Wimmer