Phil McKiernan

Vice President, Packaging & Technology Integrated Solutions, a division of HAVI Global Solutions Direct, LLC.

Phil McKiernan brings over 20 years of new product development, productivity enhancement, and process oriented business leadership to bear for PTIS, GSSI, and their clients. Prior to joining PTIS as a principal in 2008, Phil worked as a Senior Associate to PTIS and led packaging organizations at Kimberly-Clark Corporation and Sweetheart Cup Company.

As a leader in the creation of new products and packaging, Phil has guided cross functional teams in the development of multi-year product and intellectual property plans, leveraging consumer insights, technology trends and qualitative and quantitative research. While at Kimberly-Clark (K-C), Phil was responsible for creating industry leading processes that harmonized brand positioning, product attributes and packaging technology to elevate emotional connections with consumers. Applying a holistic product development approach during a restage of the Kotex brand drove improvements in brand equity scores and over delivered on in-store promotional packaging goals. He brings big picture thinking and detailed review to all connection points to ensure consistency from primary packaging through shelf merchandizing and promotional display. Elevating packaging as an equal and critical component of the overall product solution and consumer experience is a passionate pursuit.

Capitalizing on his detail and process orientation, Phil has delivered a number of speed to market, cost savings and quality enhancements throughout his career. As the process champion for K-C?s Collaborative Packaging Process, a cross functional packaging development process spanning ideation through commercialization, Phil implemented a 50% reduction in cost and time to develop new packaging. Further optimization using collected metrics after implementation resulted in another 20% improvement within 18 months. While leading K-C?s Infant Care, Child Care and Wet Wipes packaging development teams Phil was a driver in the evaluation and selling the business value of compression packaging technology. His efforts ultimately resulted in a major recapitalization program across two business units saving over $10 million annually in material and distribution cost without sacrificing product performance and quality. Phil?s past experience also includes paperboard product development, supplier partnership management and quality systems development including certification as an ISO 9001 lead auditor. Over the course of four years, his focused efforts to improve folding carton supplier quality systems resulted in a 90% reduction in reported quality defects. Throughout his career, Phil has excelled in achieving results through collaboration, technology application and focus on broader business implications.

Phil is also a leader in sustainability and sustainable packaging and has helped to create and deliver numerous lecture and workshop program formats focusing on triple bottom line benefits and transparency. He is an expert in the Wal-Mart Sustainable Packaging Scorecard and modeling software and is one of the few qualified to teach the Sustainable Packaging Coalition Essentials of Sustainable Packaging workshop. Phil regularly speaks on the subject at events including the Sustainable Packaging Forum and Sustainable Packaging Design Workshop.

Phil has a Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging from Michigan State University with additional MBA graduate level studies at the University of Baltimore while he was employed at Sweetheart Cup Company. Additionally he has completed executive business and technical development programs such as the Michigan State University Supply Chain Executive Seminar, University of Wisconsin Management Institute, University of Tennessee Managing in a Technical Environment, FDA software compliance and cGMP practices, Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving/Decision Making and Project Management, and Managing Performance and Development and Targeted Selection programs. He regularly speaks at MSU IoPP student chapter meetings and mentors students from MSU and Rochester Institute of Technology packaging programs.