Mandy Kelly has been appointed as chief executive of the liquid carton trade association ACE UK, bringing over 30 years of expertise in the recycling industry. With nearly a decade of experience as the senior recycling manager at ACE UK, she is well-equipped to lead the organization into its next chapter.
Kelly succeeds Richard Hands, who has guided ACE UK since its inception in 2010. Under Hands’ leadership, ACE UK has achieved significant milestones, making his departure a notable transition for the association. Prior to her role at ACE UK, Kelly served as the business development director for Palm Recycling and contributed to the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) Recovered Paper Committee.
As part of her new role, Kelly will drive the Carton Ready campaign, which aims to implement the Government’s recycling reforms that mandate all English local authorities to collect cartons at the kerbside. This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance food and drink packaging sustainability in the UK.
She will lead ACE UK towards the next phase of its roadmap, targeting a 90% collection rate and a 70% recycling rate for all liquid cartons by the year 2030. This ambitious goal aligns with the growing consumer trend towards sustainable packaging in the food and drink sector.
“I am honoured to be following Richard as CEO of ACE UK. Over the last 14 years, ACE UK has achieved so much under his leadership – leaving some big shoes to fill. Following my tenure as senior recycling manager, I am thrilled to be leading ACE UK through the next steps on our journey towards full collection and recycling, championing liquid cartons as a fully-recyclable, sustainable and renewable packaging option. I look forward to continuing our work with the new Government and local authorities across the UK to implement Simpler Recycling reforms.”
