Speakers

Mr Pierre Pienaar
National President of the Australian Institute of Packaging

Pierre Pienaar’s interest in packaging started in 1984 after having studied pharmacy. Pierre became concerned about a number of packaging-related issues in the pharmaceutical world. Pierre has a Master of Science Degree (Packaging Engineering/Technology) from Brunel University, UK. Pierre has a Master of Manufacturing and Production Degree from University of Hertfordshire, UK. He has been National President of the South African Institute of Packaging, a director of the Packaging Council of Southern Africa and a representative on the board of the World Packaging Organisation.

Dr Katherine Dean
CSIRO

Dr Katherine Dean is recognised as one of Australia’s leading scientists in the bio-derived polymers field. She is a national/international authority and trusted advisor in the fields of biodegradation and biopolymers and is an invited member of the Plastics Council - Plastics and Chemicals Industry Association (PACIA) and the Australian Standards Committee for Degradable Plastics. Katherine leads both the green materials stream (40 staff) and green polymers team (15 staff). In her role she sets research goals which deliver science impact into both strategic and commercial contexts.

Ms Kate Everitt
Inventor, Inpact Innovations Pty Ltd (Part of the Pact Group)

Pact Group designs and manufactures bottles, PET containers, trays, tubes, closure systems, and other customised packaging solutions for branded consumer products, as well as drums, pails, cans and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). Pact Group has a broad range of capabilities to meet customer demands utilising exclusive technology alliances and licensing arrangements with leading global packaging companies, along with a dedicated focus on environmental sustainability. With more than 3,000 employees, Pact Group services thousands of blue-chip clients everyday across a wide range of industries

Dr Mamoon Haque
Senior Medical Physics Specialist, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Senior Lecturer, School of Physics, University of Sydney

Mamoon received a Masters in Physics with specialization in Nuclear Physics from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. His Ph.D. was in Nuclear Physics at the University of Cologne, Germany (1980-1985). Early research interests were Gamma spectroscopy, Hyperfine Interactions, Trace element analysis with Nuclear techniques, Radiobiology with Proton, deuterons and heavy ions He resided in Italy (1986-1996) and beside English and Bengali, he is fluent in German and Italian. He has authored and co-authored more than 50 scientific publications in peer reviewed journal, and numerous contributions in conferences and scientific reports.
Moving to Australia in 1997 he joined the Radiation Oncology department of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and is "Senior Medical Physics Specialist". he teaches Radiation Physics to the Medical Physics Students at the University of Sydney.

Ms Katherine Zerdin
Packaging Development Technologist at PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand

Katherine has a Bachelor of Applied Science (Food Technology) and a Master of Science by Research from the University of Western Sydney. The topic of her thesis was ‘The photodynamic effect on micro-organisms found on packaging materials’. She joined CSIRO in 1998 to work in the field of food and packaging interactions, in particular active packaging; this work included evaluating the impact of the packaging on physical, chemical and microbial quality and safety of the food. Katherine also worked on high pressure processing of foods, correlation of physical and chemical properties of fruits with their sensory attributes, and food material science with a focus on food structure. She joined PepsiCo in 2009 as a Packaging Development Technologist for Australia and New Zealand. She is a Professional member of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology, a committee member of the NSW branch of the Australian Food Engineering Association, and a Member of the Australian Institute of Packaging.