CRB adds senior packaging engineer
CRB, a global provider of engineering, architecture, construction and consulting solutions to the life sciences and food and beverage industries, has added a senior packaging engineer.
Katie Ireland has more than two decades of experience in packaging with brands including Starbucks, Kellogg, Ford Motor Co., Unilever and Hershey.
“In an intensely competitive environment, manufacturers are more focused than ever on product packaging that’s safe, simple to use and can capture consumer attention,” Jason Robertson, CRB vice president of food and beverage, said in a news release. “No one is more locked in on those goals than CRB, and few in this industry can match Katie’s deep packaging credentials and impact. We can’t wait to see what she’ll do for clients.”
During more than 10 years at Starbucks, Ireland led global packaging and innovation efforts that streamlined the coffee giant’s packaging lines. She led a center of excellence equipment group that oversaw standards, specifications and governance, and she helped set asset management strategy for the company’s aging plants.
Ireland also performed lead packaging roles at ConAgra, Kellogg Company, Ford Motor Co. and Unilever.
She has a bachelor’s degree in packaging engineering from Michigan State University and a master’s from Washington University in St. Louis.
“Smart and sustainable package design can retain customer loyalty while reducing the amount of material used and making products easier to manufacture and designed with consumer use in mind,” Ireland said. “I’ve spent my career tackling these critical challenges on the client side and I’m excited to bring that unique perspective to CRB, whose culture of collaboration, client focus and technical excellence are unmatched.”
