The Packaging Forum is pleased to welcome Victoria Carter ONZM CFInstD as its first Independent Chair.

Victoria is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand and brings over 30 years governance experience across local government, membership organisations, and business. She served as an Auckland City Councillor, including on the Works Committee where she supported resource recovery projects. She has extensive board experience and has grown several businesses including Cityhop cars by the hour. In 2016, she was awarded an ONZM for services to business, the arts, and community.

An enthusiastic practical recycler for most of her life, she was championing the circular economy before it was fashionable – always focused on how to keep materials in use and turn good intent into measurable, useful results.

Her immediate priorities are strengthening governance, getting to know our team and members, and ensuring our schemes deliver viable, sustainable packaging solutions for New Zealand. She is motivated by the opportunity to work with the Board to demonstrate the value we can bring to members and help New Zealand progress toward a circular economy. Victoria is joining the Forum at an important time and looks forward to working with members to advance our collective sustainability goals.

Our sincere thanks to Nick Baker for his valuable leadership as outgoing Chair and his ongoing contribution on the Board.

The Packaging Forum welcomed its new CEO Craig Miller, who started with the organisation in September.

Craig has relocated with his family back home to New Zealand from Singapore, where he worked in a Senior R&D Manager role for FrieslandCampina, across the Asia Region for the last 6 years.

Craig brings extensive global experience across FMCG, dairy, health and wellness, and packaging sectors; and has a strong background in developing and leading sustainability strategies and circular economy pilots via industry ecosystem collaborations – all of which will help expand the Forum’s voluntary product stewardship schemes, and other programmes. Previous other companies Craig has worked for include Fonterra, Mars, Manuka Health Ltd and Goodman Fielder- where he collaborated with The Packaging Forum in the early days of the Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme, so it is good to see the full circle with Craig coming on board to lead the Forum.

Craig is passionate and motivated by the chance to play a part in helping New Zealand on it’s path towards a circular economy, and to help improve sustainability for Kiwi Organizations in the face of one of the most important threats to all of our livelihoods – climate change. He believes by being part of this organisation and as members, we are already making a solid commitment toward addressing this challenge both now and for future generations.

Craig’s had a busy first few months since starting with the Forum and is excited to be coming into the Packaging Forum at a critical junction; with fresh eyes and an outside in perspective, to help rechart our strategy for the coming years and maximise value to members.