OPRL appoints permanent Managing Director

OPRL (On-Pack Recycling Label) has appointed Interim MD Jude Allan as its new Managing Director.

Dr Stewart Davies, Non-Exec Chair of the Board at OPRL, said, “On behalf of the board, we are glad that Jude Allan will be taking up the role of Managing Director on a permanent basis. Her contribution during nearly two years in the Interim MD role has given OPRL’s guarantors and the industry confidence in her strategic and operational leadership, as she has led the team – building on OPRL’s strengths of expertise, B2B customer focus and brand recognition. Going forward, we expect Jude’s experience across all packaging materials, in design for recycling, and in business transformation to be key to her success in developing OPRL’s value to our members in the future.”

On conclusion of her secondment to Defra, Professor Margaret Bates will, by mutual agreement, not be returning to her previous role of Managing Director OPRL.

Davies added: “The Board of OPRL Ltd is immensely grateful for the successful contribution that Margaret made to the development of the business over her four years as Managing Director. We are proud to have seen the outstanding impact Margaret has delivered for the circular economy in her role on secondment to Defra as Head of the UK Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging Scheme Administrator, then as interim Head of PackUK. We wish her well for her future career.”

Professor Margaret Bates commented: “I am grateful to OPRL for the opportunities I have had there, not least of which my successful time at DEFRA. I wish my colleagues all the best for the future.”

Jude Allan is a trustee at IoM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining), where she is chair of the Packaging Group. A materials engineer, whose career has been spent predominantly in the packaging industry, she initially worked as a packaging technologist, before spending almost 20 years taking creative designs to market at jonesknowlesritchie, then the leading independent packaging design agency in London.

Ends

Editors notes

• OPRL Ltd operates the UK-wide On-Pack Recycling Label scheme used by over 750 member companies and charities. It is the leading independent expert in packaging recyclability, providing recycling and refill labels – and advice – to 95 per cent of the UK groceries market.

• OPRL is an independent, not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, established to help retailers and brands engage their customers in recycling.

• The company’s guarantors span ACE UK, Alupro, British Glass, CPI, INCPEN, LARAC, MPMA and RECOUP.

• OPRL was launched in 2009, as a not-for-profit limited by guarantee as part of the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The move followed work between BRC, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and their leading members, and WRAP. The aim was to devise a labelling system that would engage consumers with recycling, as local authorities started to roll out basic services. Three of the founding directors are still on our board.