Sameer is a R&D Director, External Innovation at PepsiCo. In this role, he manages PepsiCo’s open innovation platform and strategic partnerships to source external technologies that can impact the company’s wide portfolio of food and beverage products. These technologies can range from packaging materials, ingredients and processing to digital technologies and business model innovations.
Prior to his current role, Sameer held various roles within Packaging R&D at PepsiCo and before that at the Wm. WRIGLEY Jr. Company, successfully leading packaging development for commercial launches of new beverage, food and confectionary products as well as longer term development on new packaging materials and technologies. Sameer began his career in the materials industry working on polymer films and coatings as well as glass and fiberglass for GE Plastics and PPG Industries. He has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston and B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Bio coming soon!
Justin is a Managing Director in Baird's Industrial Group and has coverage responsibility for the global packaging industry. Justin’s investment banking experience covers a range of products, including mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets, high yield debt and leveraged lending. Justin has advised on more than 95 transactions involving a variety of publicly traded, sponsor-owned and privately owned companies within a number of different industries, including more than 60 transactions totaling over $17 billion in transaction value in the packaging sector. Justin is also a member of Baird’s M&A Fairness Opinion Committee.
Prior to joining Baird in 2003, Justin was with Deutsche Bank Securities for nearly five years where he worked on numerous M&A and financing transactions primarily in the industrial sector. He received his MBA degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and graduated with a BA degree in Economics from Haverford College.
Karin von Kienlin is a Senior Partner in L.E.K. Consulting’s Munich office. She is Head of L.E.K. Germany and is an elected member of L.E.K.’s Global Leadership Team.
She has more than 25 years' experience in growth strategy development and implementation, having worked for a diverse range of clients across Europe, North America and Asia.
Sector-wise, Karin has been working with clients in automotive, machine manufacturing, building products, chemicals and packaging to identify priorities for profitable growth, and to support organizational change and mergers & acquisitions to make them happen. This includes, for example, buy-and-build projects, acquisition target screening, commercial due diligence, marketing and sales planning, and organizational strategy projects.
Karin holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Brasenose College, Oxford University.
Thilo Henkes, Managing Director, L.E.K. Consulting Thilo Henkes joined L.E.K. in 2000 and has more than 17 years of consulting experience specializing in transaction support and developing post-acquisition, value-enhancing strategies for clients. He is a Managing Director and Partner, and leads our Paper Goods and Packaging practice. Thilo is also active in our Building Materials & Industrials Products and Private Equity practices. He has worked with his clients to evaluate merger and acquisition opportunities, assess growth options in new markets and new products, construct business plans in conjunction with developing new growth strategies, and identify value in cost-cutting initiatives.
Ciaran is responsible for delivering Smithers global growth initiatives and supporting Smithers Asian client base.
Ciaran has been working for Smithers for nearly twenty years supporting the packaging, print and paper value chains with key market and technical information in the form of conferences, reports and consulting. Ciaran has worked on winning and delivering a wide range of market consultancy projects to major industry players, recent projects include a global assessment of printing and packaging growth trends and market assessment for a major new product launch for one of the world’s largest packaging converters.
Ciaran has launched and managed many international conferences in this sector including Digital Print for Packaging, SustPack, Specialty Papers and Print Futures.
Amanda Davis Winters is a Managing Director in the New York office and has been with L.E.K. since 2008. A member of the Industrials practice, she has a particular focus on packaging, chemicals and environmental services. Amanda has deep expertise in market entry strategy, market segment prioritization, go-to-market and commercial planning, inorganic growth strategy and both buy- and sell-side diligence. In 2018, she was selected as a Rising Star of the Consulting Profession by Consulting Magazine.
Amanda holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and a BA in psychology and communication from the University of Pennsylvania.
Jeff Cloetingh is a Managing Director in L.E.K. Consulting’s Boston office. As a member of the firm’s Packaging and Industrials practices, he has worked with clients on the development of global growth strategy, go-to-market commercial strategy, roll-up strategy, digital packaging and printing strategy, and M&A transaction support.
Prior to joining L.E.K. in 2011, Jeff focused on incentive plan design and competitive benchmarking at a boutique consulting firm. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Colgate University and a Master of Business Administration with Distinction from S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Business at Cornell University.
Jon Moss is a Principal in L.E.K. Consulting’s Chicago office. Jon is a member of the firm’s Industrials practice, with a focus on the Paper & Packaging and Building & Construction practices. He has worked on growth strategy engagements focused on both U.S. and international opportunities and has supported corporate and private equity clients on buy- and sell-side transactions.