CMM Selects Neil Burns as Converter of the Year

ROSEMONT, Ill.—Neil Burns, managing director of the release liner segment for Mondi Packaging in the UK, has been selected as CMM’s Converter of the Year for 2007. He will accept the award at CMM International 2007—scheduled for June 4-7 in Rosemont, Ill.—and will also deliver the show’s keynote address on Tuesday, June 5 at 9:30 a.m., during which he will identify and analyze key trends in the global converting industry.

Considered one of the industry’s most prestigious honors, the Converter of the Year award is presented biennially to a converter, supplier, educator, or consultant who has significantly advanced converting technology, business practices, industry education, or standards development.

Recognized for his many accomplishments in growing a variety of converting businesses throughout Europe, Burns is the 10th recipient in a list of distinguished honorees who have won this prestigious award during the last 20 years. He has spent close to 25 years within the converting business, and 22 of those years have been with the same organization. After a brief stint at BXL Plastics in South Yorkshire UK, Burns moved to Reed Plastic Packaging, part of the Reed International Group based in Kent, UK. There he worked in operations, general management, and sales within the blown film, extrusion coating, and paper bag businesses before taking over as managing director of Medway Plastics extrusion coating operation. During this time the business was acquired by NCB, then AssiDomän (both Swedish papermaking and packaging companies), and then by Frantschach Packaging, which became Mondi Packaging.

In 1998, Burns took responsibility for the extrusion coating business in Central and Eastern Europe, where he built up the Steti plant in the Czech Republic and developed sales within the region. At the start of 2003, he took over responsibility for operations and procurement for the coating division of Mondi Packaging. During his time in this role he was also directly involved in restructuring plants in Sweden (as operations director) and Belgium (as managing director).

Burns took over his current position as managing director of the Mondi Packaging release liner segment in April 2006. Through the integration of three newly acquired companies, he has managed the development of the release liner segment from the original plant in Raubling, Germany, to the current organization of two plants in the U.S. and five plants in Europe. He has an Honors degree in Production Engineering.

“Singling out one individual for recognition from among a field of innovators and leaders in the converting market space is, to say the least, a challenging task,” notes CMM International Editorial/Conference Director Keith Hevenor. “We received a number of strong nominations this year, and Neil Burns truly stands out to the committee as a pioneer who has helped grow the industry and shape the market by introducing innovative solutions and management practices. It is a privilege to recognize someone who has had such an impact on converting, and we are honored that he has accepted our invitation to deliver the keynote address.”

A panel of industry experts that includes editors of converting magazines, key industry associations, and other industry leaders help select the CMM International Converter of the Year. Past winners of the “Converter of the Year” award include Rick Hocking, plant manager at Banner Packaging; Christian Hanson, president and CEO of Douglas-Hanson; Alan Leeson, president of Spectrum Label Corporation; Roy Jablonka, president of Glenroy, Inc.; Dennis Mehiel, chairman and CEO of the Four M Corporation; David Hofmann, president and CEO of Graphic Packaging Corporation; Arthur Herschafter, president of PAXAR; Janice Meister, chairman of Bagcraft Corporation of America; and Norm Abrams, noted industry consultant and educator.