EuPC Annual Conference 2025: "The Future of Plastics: Circular and Competitve" - Meet the speakers!

Join us in Brussels for the EuPC Annual Conference 2025, where industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators will gather to shape the future of plastics in Europe.

Under the theme “The Future of Plastics: Circular and Competitive,” this flagship event will explore key strategic priorities driving sustainability, competitiveness, and innovation across the plastics value chain.

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Meet the Speakers!

12th June - Day I - Networking Dinner and Award Ceremony

She graduated from the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Warsaw, where she obtained a Master’s degree. She also studied Romance and Iberian philology (Portuguese section). She completed postgraduate studies in International Economic Relations at the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH). She is an Eisenhower Foundation scholar. She is fluent in English, French, and Portuguese. From 1989 to 1991, she served as an advisor and plenipotentiary to the Minister of Education, Prof. Henryk Samsonowicz, and headed the Office for Innovation and Private Schools. From early 1992 until July 1996, she was the Polish Ambassador to Brazil. Upon her return, she worked in the Department of Foreign Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1997 to 2000, she held managerial positions in the private sector, and from 2000 to 2001, she served as Undersecretary of State in the Office of the Committee for European Integration. She returned to the private sector from 2001 to 2006. In 2006–2007, she served as Director of the External Economic Policy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2007 to 2012, she was the Polish Ambassador to Portugal. After her return, at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she established the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Polish Institute of Diplomacy, which she led until February 2016. From 2016 to 2017, she served as titular ambassador in the Eastern Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2018 to 2020, she managed a private company.

Ron was Chief Executive of RPC Group from 1989 until 2013. During that time RPC grew to become the leading manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging in Europe with over 50 factories and 7,000 employees. He was a Non-Executive Director of British Polythene Industries from 2011 until 2016. He was Chair of Genuit Plc ( formerly Polypipe Plc ), a manufacturer of plastic building products, from 2014 until 2022. He was a Non-Executive Director of Faerch A/S from 2014 until 2025. Ron is Chair of the Packaging Federation in the UK and Chair of the Polymers for Europe Alliance.

13th June - Day II - Public EuPC Conference 2025

Stefano Soro was born in Genoa, Italy. He holds a degree in Management and Economics from Università Bocconi, Milan. After working in the HR department of a multinational company, he joined the European Commission in 1994, serving in a variety of posts in Eurostat, the Enterprise and Industry DG, the Secretariat-General and the Health and Consumers DG, where from 2006 to 2011 he headed the unit responsible for non-food consumer safety. From 2012 to 2016 he was the Head of the "Medicinal products - quality, safety and efficacy" Unit and then of the “Animal nutrition, veterinary medicines” Unit. Stefano joined the Internal Market, Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs DG as Head of the "Food Industry" Unit in 2017. Since 1st May 2025 he is the Head of the DG’s new Sustainable Products Unit.

Since September 2022, Jaime Martin Juez is in charge of Refining & Chemicals Division in Repsol. He is Vice-chairman of the Business Federation of the Spanish Chemical Industry (FEIQUE), member of Board of Directors of FuelsEurope and Chairman of Dynasol Group. He has held different management positions such as Director of Sustainability and Chief Technology Officer and Corporate Venturing Director. Jaime Martín Juez holds a PhD in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, a BSc (Honours) degree in Physics, and a Master´s in Environmental Engineering. As executive education, he holds a Program for Leadership Development from IESE and Advanced Management Program for ESADE-Wharton.

Amcor are the largest manufacturer and recycler of waste polythene films in Europe, with a manufacturing and recycling capacity in excess of 400,000 tonnes p.a. Mike Joined Berry in 1988 and has held senior roles within various AMCOR businesses including polythene extrusion, converting and recycling. Currently Mike is responsible for all External Affairs representing Amcor at UK and European Government levels, The European Parliament & Commission, plus trade associations including Plastics Recyclers Europe, British Plastics Federation Recycling Group, European Plastic Converters. Mike was appointed in 2016 onto the UK Government DEFRA Expert Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP) representing the UK plastics processing and recycling sector. He is Chair of CEFLEX (Circular Economy Flexibles Europe) SG4 WG and a member of the CEFLEX Steering Board, Board Member/Trustee of the UK RECOUP (Recycling of Used Plastics), a member of the BPF (British Plastics Federation) Plastics & Packaging Management Committee, Director of the EuPC & Senior Executive Forum, (European Plastics Converters) Member of INCPEN UK (Industry Council Packaging & Environment) and the WRAP Plastic Pact Advisory Committee. Member of the INCPEN (Industry Council for Packaging & the Environment), & PACKFED (Packaging Federation) committees.

After earning her Abitur, Gunda Rachut studied law in Osnabrück (Germany) and Strasbourg (France). Following a brief stint in radio journalism, Ms Rachut took up a position as Envi-ronmental Officer at Studentenwerk Osnabrück (Osnabrück Student Services) before joining the Ökoregio-Institut as Spokeswoman of the Board of Directors and Editor of the Ökoregio-Nachrichten magazine. In 1993, Ms Rachut and Partners co-founded cyclos GmbH, Germany's leading provider of expert consulting for packaging waste management, where she served as Managing Partner for 20 years, together with Agnes Bünemann. During this period, Ms Rachut also founded another consulting firm, cyclos-future. In 2011, she contributed to both ex-pert opinions on the simulation exercise for further development of the Verpackungsverordnung (Packaging Ordinance). In January 2015, she began as Project Lead for the 'Zentrale Stelle Verpackungs-register' (Central Packaging Register) project of the Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Ernährungsindustrie e. V. (Federation of German Food and Drink In-dustries – BVE), IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e. V. (German Association for Plastic Packagings and Films), Handelsverband Deutschland – HDE e. V. (German Retail Association) and Markenverband e. V. (German Trade Mark Association). In September of the same year, she joined BHIM Zentrale Wertstoffstelle Projekt GmbH as Managing Director. Two years later, in 2017, she was appointed as Chair of the Stiftung Zentrale Verpackungsregister (Foundation Central Agency Packaging Register – ZSVR). Gunda Rachut has been a member of the Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler (Federation of German Scientists) since 1995.

Leopoldo Rubinacci is Deputy Director General in the Directorate-General for Trade of the European Commission. In this position, he oversees EU trade relations with the Americas and the neighbouring countries to the EU, as well as trade aspects of agriculture and food safety, trade in goods – including raw materials and energy, regulatory co-operation - and trade aspects of public procurement. Mr Rubinacci joined the European Commission in 1995 in what is today DG Environment, and then moved to DG Trade in 1997, where he held several different positions.Between 2015 and 2020, he was Director for Trade Defence while between 2005 and 2015 Mr Rubinacci held Head of Unit positions dealing with, respectively, services, investment and bilateral trade relations with Russia, other CIS countries, Western Europe, Western Balkans, EU candidate countries in the same Directorate General. Leopoldo Rubinacci started his professional career at Arthur Andersen & Co.He holds a business administration degree from the Solvay School of Economics and Management (University of Brussels).

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