EUROPEN elects new chairman

EUROPEN, The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment, has elected Dr Eric Johnson of ExxonMobil as its new chairman. Johnson, manager of strategic relations for ExxonMobil, has the environment as one of his main responsibilities. EUROPEN is an industry and trade organization open to any company with an economic interest in packaging and packaged products which presents the opinion of its members on issues related to packaging and the environment.

John Swift (SCA Packaging) and Jean-Pierre Rennaud (Groupe Danone) will assist Dr Johnson as first and second vice-chairmen. Five additional EUROPEN members were elected to the executive committee for the period 2007-2009. They are Salvatore Gabola, Coca Cola; Cees-Jan Adema, PepsiCo; Anders Linde, Rexam; Erika Mink, Tetra Pak; and Jay Gouliard, Unilever. EUROPEN’s managing director, Julian Carroll said that the composition of the new committee includes representation from the different packaging chain sectors, which reflects the organization’s membership.

Johnson joined ExxonMobil in Belgium in 1981 and has worked in the marketing and technical departments of the oriented polypropylene films operation since then.

This is the second occasion Johnson has served as EUROPEN’s chairman.  Early in 1990 he was among a group of packaging industry executives who helped found the Brussels based organization and served as its first chairman from December 1991 until July 1993.