ASSOCIATION NEWS Conor Carlin To Become IoPP President
Print4All (CONT’D FROM PAGE 37)
PACTA – Printing & Converting Technology Alliance, an organization that brings together the two industry associ- ations, creating new synergies to support the market and companies across the supply chain. In printing and converting, the integration of human expertise and advanced technologies, starting with AI, is now one of the primary drivers of change. One message emerged particularly strongly and can be summarized in a key concept: intelligence cannot be delegated. AI can pro-
Conor Carlin will become President of The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) on August 1, 2026, fol- lowing a planned leadership transition with Executive Director Jane Chase, CPPL. Carlin joined IoPP on July 1 and is working along- side Chase throughout July to ensure a seamless tran- sition for members, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and stakeholders. Chase, who announced her retire- ment in June, concludes more than 30 years of service to IoPP and the packaging profession on July 31. Carlin brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across the packaging, plastics, and ad- vanced materials industries. Throughout his career, he has built strategic partnerships, led business growth, advanced professional education, and supported in- novation across the packaging value chain in North America, Australia, and Europe. Sustainable Strategy He joins IoPP from Clefs Advisory LLC, where he serves as President, advising companies on sustain- bau GmbH & Co. KG., leading commercial strategy, business growth, and customer partnerships across food, consumer packaged goods, medical, and indus- trial packaging markets. A longtime association leader, Carlin recently com- pleted a nine-year term on the Executive Board of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), including service as the first VP of Sustainability and President. His expe- rience includes strategic planning, board governance, volunteer leadership, chapter engagement, and ad- vancing education and professional development for members worldwide. He has also served as Managing Editor of SPE’s divisional publications and has been an IoPP member since 2020. Carlin is also a recognized thought leader in pack- aging and sustainability. He is the co-author and editor of the second edition of Plastics & Sustainability: Grey is the New Green , has contributed articles to interna- tional industry publications, and has represented the plastics industry through the United Nations Environ- ment Program. In 2023, he was recognized by Plastics News as a “Notable Leader in Sustainability.” able business strategy, market ex- pansion, packaging recyclability, and the application of AI to small and medium sized manufacturing firms. Previously, he served as Ex- ecutive Vice President and Gen- eral Manager of North American operations for ILLIG Maschinen- Conor Carlin
vide forecasts, recommendations, analyses and insights that improve production efficiency, optimize workflows and support decision-making. However, responsibility for evaluation, interpretation and final decisions remains firm- ly in human hands. Creating Value Value is therefore created through the interaction be- tween technological recommendations and the human ability to contextualize, assess and translate them into ac- tion. From this perspective, the issue is no longer whether to use artificial intelligence or not: AI is already an estab- lished and increasingly widespread reality. The real chal- lenge lies in developing effective governance models ca- pable of maintaining control while maximizing its potential. Testimonies from numerous companies confirmed that people remain at the center of the industrial process. Skills play a crucial role in a landscape where technologies are gradually becoming standardized. In this context, the key differentiator is not the technological solution itself, but the ability to manage and effectively integrate it within an or- ganization. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly em- bedded in production and management processes, its effectiveness depends on data quality, accumulated ex- perience, workforce training and companies’ ability to continuously monitor results. As highlighted during the conference, AI must be constantly trained, verified and im- proved — a process that once again confirms the central importance of the human factor.
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