Cathy Arthur – Senior Judge
Consultant, Cathy Arthur Packaging and Print Production
Sydney, NSW

In a Design and Production career spanning nearly 25 years, Cathy has learnt from, and worked with, some of the best Creative and Technical people Australia has produced. From her early days at Randwick Technical College learning the disciplines of Colour, Typography, and Print Reproduction to her current Packaging and Print Consultancy role, Cathy has been involved in a complete cross section of Projects covering all print methods and substrates and in many areas has had the opportunity to push the existing parameters to achieve new standards of Production excellence.

Always one to take on a challenge regardless of its size, Cathy has worked on nearly every major FMCG brand, as well as many corporate accounts, and has a passion for ensuring that the end result is always as good as it possibly could be. As Production Director for LKS Landor for many years Cathy was part of a well respected team who demanded the highest level of quality and accuracy in execution of Concept through Artwork, Pre-Press and on to Reproduction. The standards Cathy sets are recognised as being as high as they can commercially be, and this continues to be her trademark.

Having achieved a balance between work and family life, Cathy is totally dedicated to both, and brings a wealth of experience and understanding to every new project she encounters. Cathy has the unique ability to work equally well with both Creatives, Clients and Suppliers and as such is able to confidently and successfully take on board the Design expectations, Marketing requirements, and Technical limitations, and then confidently guide projects through from conception to final execution with the minimum of pain and the maximum of result.

Bill Seppelt - Judge
Consultant
Adelaide, SA

Bill commenced full time employment with B. Seppelt & Sons Ltd at Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley as a laboratory assistant. Having graduated from the South Australian Institute of Technology as a Microbiologist and Analytical Chemist, he was transferred to the company's new packaging centre at Braeside in Victoria where he was Technical Manager for 7 years. On returning to Adelaide in 1978 as National Bottling and Packaging Manager of B Seppelt and Sons Ltd, his experience in managing a packaging operation from a technical perspective changed to a planning, supply and logistics role. Bills thorough industry experience lead him to become the Packaging Development Manager at Southcorp, where he was involved in the manufacturing perspective of product development for Australia 's largest wine company, working with designers, manufacturers and production personnel at four packaging centres. Bill is a Past Chairman of the SA Division of the Packaging Council and member of the Winemaker's Federation Packaging Committee. Now retired Bill is partnering a number of exciting packaging development projects.

Emeritus Professor Harry Lovell - Judge
F.Inst.Pkg, F.A.I.P., F.I.F.S.T., F.A.I.F.S.T., CSci
Consultant - Packaging & Food Technology, Gatton, QLD

With over fifty years of experience in the food industry as a food technologist and microbiologist, Harry has had a keen interest in packaging since the mid 1950’s. As a former Technical Manager with Fisons Ltd, U.K. and Senior Product Development Manager with Cadbury Schweppes , U.K. he swapped industry for education in 1972. This also resulted in industrial consultancy, which has continued to the present day with past clients such as Colgate Palmolive, Metal Box, APV, Niro in Europe and North America and now a number of Australian clients. His career has involved extensive overseas assignments including such exotic places as the Kingdom of Muscat and Oman and Tonga .

Harry is a keen advocate of education and training and has been actively involved in packaging education and training since 1972 with the U.K and Australian Institutes of Packaging to the present day.

In 2005 Harry was awarded the prestigious title of Chartered Scientist (CSci) from the United Kingdom for his work in the packaging industry, both in Europe and Australia .

Dr Karli Verghese - Judge
Manager - Sustainable Products Centre for Design, RMIT University
Melbourne, VIC

Karli is the Manager of the Sustainable Products Area at the Centre for Design RMIT University . She is involved in research in the fields of life cycle assessment, eco-design and product stewardship and works with companies across the packaging supply chain as well as government agencies. She is a partner in the Sustainable Packaging Alliance (SPA) and is currently leading the development of PIQET - SPA's Packaging Impact Quick Evaluation Tool.

John Davis - Judge
Director
Brandspank Pty Ltd, Southbank, VIC.

John Davis is the founder of Brandspank, a branding agency and management consultancy specialising in Innovation and Brand Building . John has held senior Marketing and General Management positions with major multinational FMCG companies both locally and internationally. His Global and International experience includes; Heinz - Global Manager Convenience Meals; Mars -Global Co-ordination Dolmio & Pan Asian Strategy MasterFoods; Carnation - Pan European Petfood Rollout Team and various Trans-Tasman roles. Subsequently John also bought, built and sold a successful plastics housewares business branded 'Trend', competing directly with Décor, Willow , et al. In a consulting capacity John works with clients such as MasterFoods, Visy, Heinz, Red Bull and a number of major advertising agencies. He has worked as a market researcher and in advertising, and is a member of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants. John has a Post.Grad. in Marketing and has lectured in Marketing Management at Monash/CIT.

David Faraday - Judge
Director - The Carton House
Brunswick East, VIC

David began his career in packaging in 1995, but his route to the world of boxes was somewhat unorthodox. Coming from a diverse professional background that included Accounting, Computing, Management and Property Sales, David was invited to participate in the growth of the Melbourne based folding carton manufacturer, The Carton House. Immersing himself in the packaging industry has been his passion ever since.

Apart from directing the business, David has had the pleasure of developing packaging for a range of major Confectioners, Promotional Products Agencies, Giftware Manufacturers, Food Manufacturers and Retailers, including Cadbury and Myer. David's expertise spans the packaging life cycle - from design, pre-press, material selection, printing and embellishment techniques; through the factory based issues of manufacturing methods, ease of assembly and logistics; to the consumer focused matters of shelf impact and recyclability.

Today, David's creative focus is on developing packaging ranges where fashion and branding are the platforms and the use of the latest in colour,design, style and impact is paramount.

Lydia Kirk – Judge
Managing Director, Kirk Creative
North Fitzroy Vic

After graduating from Phillip Institute in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Graphic Design), Lydia worked in the design industry for over 10 years, mainly specialising in packaging design for FMCG brands. In 1998 Lydia and Peter Kirk decided to establish their company, Kirk Creative. The company clients include major manufacturers, both nationally and internationally. Kirk Creative is a brand building consultancy which specialises in comprehensive campaign management designed to ensure success in the market. Varying print processes and experimentation had allowed Kirk Creative to create designs that provide the client with an outstanding result and a unique position. Lydia has a strong awareness of FMCG products within the retail market in Australia and is always researching overseas trends. As her business has grown over the years, Lydia and her team have expanded into advertising, marketing, corporate identity and public relations to compliment her clients needs.