Mr. Thomas Weigert joined the Go Wipes advisory board to provide his broad machinery, process and application knowledge of nonwoven production.
Since 1997 he is working at Trützschler Nonwovens, the former Fleissner GmbH, in Egelsbach near Frankfurt/Germany, who is one of the leading suppliers of nonwoven production lines and machinery.
For almost 20 years in various positions he gained wide experience in the design and development of nonwoven production equipment and also in the technological requirements for nonwoven substrates. Today in the position as Director Application Technology Mr. Weigert holds technological responsibility for Fleissner AquaJet, Through Air Drying and Wetlaid Spunlace (WLS).
Mr. Weigert got his degree in mechanical engineering at Darmstadt Technical University in August 1989 and started his professional life in the design and development of automotive brake systems before entering into the nonwoven industry.
Kevin Verbruggen is a Marketing Director of Nice-Pak International, with almost 30 years’ experience and a consistent record of growing businesses & brands profitably. He has added countless millions of $ to businesses’ revenue & bottom lines through innovation, including Cadbury’s, Kellogg’s and Weetabix.
As Head of Innovation at Weetabix, Kevin set a clear strategy, built and led a team, put new processes in place & developed a long-term pipeline (including the Weetabix Protein range of breakfast cereals & drinks) which helped add significant value to the business. Kevin also led the simplification of Weetabix’s Distinctive Brand Assets, championing the “Have you Had your Weetabix?” campaign, winning an IPA award and trebling the Return on Investment. Weetabix was subsequently acquired by Post Holdings for $1.8bn.
Heidi Beatty has a successful track record as an Innovator and project manager. Over her 20+ year career, Heidi has launched products for some of the world’s leading brands as well as for some of the most entrepreneurial start-ups. As CEO of Crown Abbey, Heidi and her team helps a global client base across consumer, health care and nutritional categories to identify and commercialize new technologies.
After gaining a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of York, UK, Heidi worked with Johnson & Johnson for over 10 years across Europe and the US. From there, she has worked at both mid-size companies as well as start-ups, before founding Crown Abbey, nearly 6 years ago.
Heidi speaks & moderates at many conferences on a variety of topics, including women’s health products, innovation and project management tools.
David M Jackson completed a BSc. Chemical Engineering at UC Swansea in 1976. He then went on to complete an MSChE at University of Washington Seattle in 1978. David was a Senior Technical Leader at Kimberly Clark for 38+ years at headquarters sites in Wisconsin and Georgia, with a primary focus on nonwoven composites for wiping, absorbency, disposable elastic composites and treatment chemistry and processes. After recently taking retirement, David has started a non-wovens consultancy, Material/Process Connexxions. Recently he is now Chief Technical Officer for WipeFlush Ltd. A start-up producing fully dispersible and environmentally compatible diapers. David holds over >50 US patents and > 200 worldwide
Seán Kerrigan is the Communications and Media Relations Director for EDANA, the international association representing the nonwoven and related industries, a position he has held since March 2017.
Based in Brussels, Seán is responsible for developing the internal and external communications activities to promote understanding and awareness of nonwoven products. Seán also manages communications programmes designed to promote specific sectors or products and also EDANA events. Seán manages several of the association’s Working Groups including the Communications & Advocacy SG, the Automotive WG, the Wet Wipes WG, the Durable SG and assists many other groups which there is a need for communications or PR support.
Before his role with EDANA, Seán managed global corporate communications projects for BDO Global in Brussels from 2013 to 2017. Prior to this, Seán managed communications projects for a variety of clients including The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Embassy of India - Belgium, Agrium Europe and Sinergy Communications .
Phillip Mango has spent almost forty years in nonwovens, starting in 1981 with Air Products and Chemicals, where he was the Manager of the Nonwovens Group. Air Products was the major supplier of latex binders to major nonwovens used in wipes, notably airlaid and DRC (double recrepe). In 1991, he left Air Products to join Walkisoft USA as Director of Technology. Walkisoft was the largest global producer of airlaid at that time. Sensing a need for a more innovative, specialty oriented airlaid producer, Mr. Mango started his own airlaid business and designed and built a specialty airlaid line in 1997. This company, Airformed Composites, was one of the early developers of commercial multibonded airlaid for baby wipes, as well as other unique products and process advances. In 2000, Concert Industries acquired Airformed Composites and Mr. Mango. With Concert, Mr. Mango was the Director of Product Development. In 2002, Mr. Mango left Concert to start his own consulting business, Phillip Mango Consulting, LLC. Over the last 18 years, Mr. Mango has consulted extensively in the wipes market, technology, nonwovens and raw materials. He has authored numerous studies on flushable wipes, the global wipes market and technology, and other nonwovens related subjects.
