Brussels, 7 December 2018 – During its autumn General Assembly meeting, EXPRA, the alliance of 26 producer responsibility organizations for packaging which are owned by obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis, has elected its Board of Directors for the 2018-2021 mandate.
Mr Todor Bourgoudjiev, CEO of ECOPACK Bulgaria, was elected as a new member of the Board. Mr Bourgoudjiev has held the position of Executive Director of ECOPACK Bulgaria, the first and leading PRO in Bulgaria, since 2010. Prior to that he worked in the beer and soft drink industries. He will follow Mr Bogdan Ureche, CEO of ECO ROM Ambalaje, the Romanian member of EXPRA. After having served 3 consequent terms in EXPRA BOD, Mr Ureche has decided to focus even more on the national context that currently requires significant attention.
“Being elected as a member of the EXPRA Board of Directors is an honor for me and recognizes that EPR schemes from “new” member states can also set examples in packaging waste management. I hope that with my experience and knowledge I will contribute to the further strengthening of the Organization in this important period,” said Mr Bourgoudjiev.
Further 6 members of the Board who were re-elected for the next two-year term represent PROs from the Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Norway, Belgium and Spain. The Board of 9 is completed by the Managing Director of EXPRA Joachim Quoden as its born member.
“In this important and challenging period, when the new waste legislation will be transposed in the MS’s national legislation and its implementation in all EU MS, I am very glad to have such a strong Board with over 20 years of experience and such dedication,” said Joachim Quoden, EXPRA’s Managing Director.
Mr Cees de Mol van Otterloo, the CEO of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen, EXPRA Dutch member was elected as the new President of EXPRA . Mr de Mol van Otterloo has long-term professional experience in soft drink industry and has served as the CEO of his organisation since its establishment in 2013. In becoming EXPRA’s new President, he succeeds William Vermeir, the former CEO of EXRPA’s Belgian member Fost Plus.
“This period is crucial for the future development and optimized functioning of our members and EPR in general, with the transposition and following implementation of the new waste legislation as well as the plastic strategy impact. I would like to thank my predecessor, William Vermeir, the founding EXPRA President, for his great job and to assure you that I will continue to position EXPRA as key stakeholder in implementing these new conditions for our work as PROs in the coming years,” he said.