Mike Arnold is currently an executive director (advisory) of Ardagh Glass-Africa (formerly Consol Glass).

He served as the chief executive officer of Consol (Pty) Limited from April 2002 to April 2022, steering the company through its listing on the JSE in 2005 and delisting and private equity buy-out in 2007.

He was also pivotal in the company’s subsequent sale in 2022 to Ardagh Group, a global glass and metal packaging group. In addition, he is a director and chairman of both The Glass Recycling Company and the PRO Alliance.

He is also the past president of the Packaging Association of South Africa and former chairman of the Manufacturing Circle of South Africa.

Bhavesh Patel has over 20 years’ international experience delivering large-scale impact across circular economy, product stewardship, and commercial strategy.

Before joining the Paper & Packaging PRO Alliance as Executive Director, he served as the Chief Operating Officer at PETCO and chaired the Empowerment Fund’s investment committee, where he managed significant investments into recycling infrastructure and enterprise development and oversaw governance and reporting frameworks that met both regulatory and donor expectations.

Bhavesh has a combination of experience that includes entrepreneurship in the consumer goods and apparel sectors, leadership in national sustainability systems, cross-sector collaboration and the ability to identify opportunities and design scalable solutions.

Telly Chauke is a seasoned sustainability professional with over 20 years’ experience in the sustainability space. Telly’s career spans working in the civil society space, government and public entities.

Her career started as a researcher on multiple water-use systems and community-based natural resources management and then progressed to include management roles in the South African government’s Department of Water and Sanitation and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

Before joining Petco to lead the PRO as its Chief Executive Officer, Telly held the executive management role of Chief Sustainability Officer at the Coega Development Corporation.

Telly’s diverse experience in environmental and climate governance and policy development is complemented by her academic qualifications in Environmental Sciences and Development Finance, which she is currently enhancing with an MBA at the Wits Business School. Telly has a keen interest in climate resilience and environmental sustainability and aspires for the EPR legislation to achieve socio-economic justice while delivering a resilient circular economy.

Ralph Jewson’s career started in engineering and manufacturing and then moved to retail where he has worked in different roles, from process control, product development, product and packaging technology, supplier, supply and value chain development, and over a decade leading strategic sourcing.

He currently works in the sustainability office on the various initiatives that deliver on Woolworths’ packaging and waste commitments and leads the company’s compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI).

Ralph is Chair of the PETCO Board and a member of the Steering Committee at the South African Plastics Pact.

Shabeer Jhetam is the CEO of The Glass Recycling Company (TGRC) and the Executive Director at Packaging SA.

He has a demonstrated history of working in the environmental services and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries and is skilled in advertising, trade marketing, strategic planning and negotiation. Shabeer is a strong business development professional, graduating from the University of KwaZulu-Natal with a BCom Honours and has completed a postgraduate qualification in supply chain management through the University of Pretoria.

Jhetam also holds a European Senior Logistician (ESLog) certification, awarded by the European Logistics Association (ELA), which recognises logisticians.

Edith Leeuta is a seasoned Human Resources Executive and Business Manager with over 15 years’ experience in strategic human capital development and organisational change management.

Her extensive experience in both the public and private sectors has seen her conceptualising and implementing solutions that aim to bring about positive change.

Her love for the green economy, environmental sustainability and community engagement was actualised when she joined New GX Capital as the Head of Human Resources Management in 2015. At the time of joining, Edith was also responsible for developing and implementing the Key Stakeholder Framework for New GX Enviro Solutions, a subsidiary of New GX Capital which built the largest material recovery facility in the City of Tshwane.

Edith joined Fibre Circle in May 2022, with the mission of playing a meaningful role in the development of the country’s circular economy and promoting the preservation of resources for current and future generations.

Jeremy Mackintosh is the Managing Director of the Polyoak Packaging Group, which he joined in 1982.

He is also currently the Chairperson of both POLYCO and the Plastics SA Board of Directors; and serves on the Packaging SA Board with a Fellowship awarded by the Institute of Packaging SA for the meritorious services rendered and his substantial contribution to the profession of packaging.

Jeremy has also served on key national industry bodies such as the Plastic Convertors Association, as Chairperson and Executive Committee member.

Patricia Pillay brings extensive experience in the corporate sector, particularly in working with associations, with a deep understanding of the pivotal role collaboration plays in driving a sustainable organisation.

As CEO of Polyco, South Africa’s largest plastics Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) with over 750 members, she is committed to ensuring governance and compliance with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Under her strong leadership, Polyco continues to pioneer innovative projects and programmes, positioning itself as a thought leader in the industry.

Patricia’s tenure as CEO of the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA)—representing AB InBev, Heineken, and craft brewers—provided her with a solid foundation in delivering world-class excellence. With over a decade of experience as Executive for Legal, Regulatory & Sustainability at the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA), Patricia developed strong expertise in legal and regulatory matters, enabling her to foster meaningful partnerships with government, industry bodies, and regulatory agencies.

Patricia is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa and a certified part-time commissioner at the CCMA. She played a crucial role in establishing the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO). A passionate advocate for women’s empowerment, she dedicates her time to supporting Home of Hope for Girls, an organisation assisting survivors of human trafficking.

Academically, Patricia has completed her MBA at Henley Business School awaiting graduation. She holds a B.Soc.Science and LLB from the University of Natal, along with a Management Advancement Programme (MAP) certificate from Wits Business School. She has served on multiple boards and is currently a member of the South African Plastics Packaging Board. Additionally, she is an accredited facilitator with the ETDP Seta and a member of the International Association of Facilitators.

Patricia Schröder holds an MBA, a BSc in Chemical Engineering and a Master’s degree in environmental management. She is a registered Chartered Environmental Manager with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Managers, London, and a Certified Director ® with the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa. Patricia has a passion for environmental protection and SMME development in this sector, and her career of more than 30 years supports her passion.

Within her current role as CEO of Circular Energy NPC, she is focused on addressing the growing demand regarding environmental services, Extended Producer Responsibility development and support, Producer Responsibility Organisation development and compliance services, Circular Economy principles, waste management, take-back and recycling solutions, environmental best practice, and training, among other professional offerings.

She serves on various Boards, is an executive member of professional organisations and serves as Chair on various Environmental Committees. She is the current President for the Institute of Waste Management of South Africa.

Patricia has founded and developed successful, award-winning SMMEs, which operate both nationally and internationally within the environmental services sector.

She has completed national and international environmental services contracts as an expert for projects with the World Resources Forum (WRF, Switzerland), the GIZ – German Society for International Cooperation (Frankfurt), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Austria), and the United Nations Environmental Programme, among others.

Dr Kishan Singh obtained his BSc degree at the University of Durban Westville, South Africa, in 1987, with Chemistry and Biochemistry majors. He has subsequently completed several post graduate qualifications, including a PhD in Metal Packaging Circular Economy and Sustainable Development. Kishan also qualified as a Certified Packaging Professional through Institute of Packaging professional in USA.

Kishan serves in several positions related to South Africa’s waste economy. In 2018, he was appointed as the CEO of MetPac SA and focuses on the circular economy of metal packaging in SA, with the organisation boasting an impressive collection rate of around 73% of metal packaging in South Africa.

As National Chairman of Education for the Institute of Packaging in South Africa (IPSA), Kishan is responsible for the national education strategy as well as the execution of all academic programmes managing the operational requirements, lecturers, assessment protocols, moderation and general student mentorship. Kishan has since 2016 expanded the IPSA education footprint into Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia.

As a global ambassador to the World Packaging Organisation, Kishan’s focal areas revolve around fostering strategic alliances with global partners, endorsing member country packaging training programmes and conducting global training and education in the fields of packaging principles and practices, Supply Chain Management, Quality Systems Management, Lean Six Sigma, Environmental Management and Circular Economies.

Kishan was recognised by the Packaging Council of SA, as the Packaging Achiever of SA, in November 2024, at the IPSA GoldPack Awards evening.