Technological watch

TC Transcontinental bolsters innovation and sustainability leadership with double executive nominationTC Transcontinental is pleased to announce the appointment of Magali Depras to the position of Chief Strategy Officer. Ms. Depras serves on the Executive Management Committee of the Corporation. In addition, effective April 1st, 2019, Mr. Alex Hayden will be joining the Packaging Sector of the Corporation, as Senior Vice President, R&D, Innovation and Sustainability, TC Transcontinental Packaging.
“I am very pleased to welcome Magali Depras and Alex Hayden to TC Transcontinental,” said François Olivier, President and Chief Executive Officer of TC Transcontinental. “On the heels of our Gold Award for Sustainability from the Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards for a second year in a row, and as we are becoming today the first Canadian-based manufacturer to join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, this is an exciting time for our company. We continue to be driven by our unwavering commitment towards sustainability throughout our transformation and I am certain that both these seasoned executives will make considerable leadership contributions in fostering innovation and performance within our teams. Thanks to their vast expertise in the global packaging industry, Ms. Depras and Mr. Hayden’s will support our corporate social responsibility vision, strategy and execution as we strive to set ourselves apart with our customers and in the industry.”
As Chief Strategy Officer, Ms. Magali Depras oversees the development and implementation of annual and long-term strategic plans. In support of the Corporation’s commitment to operating its activities sustainably, she also leads corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, including our corporate ambitions in the area of sustainability, and is tasked with aligning the CSR plan with TC Transcontinental’s business strategy. As such, Ms. Depras works collaboratively with the R&D teams to ensure the development of high-performance and sustainable products.
In this capacity, Ms. Depras will soon be working alongside Mr. Alex Hayden, who will join TC Transcontinental Packaging as of April 1st, 2019. In his role, Mr. Hayden will be responsible for R&D and Innovation, where he will oversee the development and commercialization of differentiated products and eco-responsible packaging solutions for customers. As TC Transcontinental is poised to make strides towards a circular economy for plastics, Mr. Hayden will work closely with Ms. Depras to achieve the Corporation’s objectives in light of its pledge to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
Magali Depras, Chief Strategy Officer, TC Transcontinental 
With over 25 years of experience in senior executive roles, Ms. Depras has worked internationally, namely in Europe, Asia and North America. She is recognized for driving growth globally through a successful track-record of new business development and for her expertise in strategic planning and execution.
Ms. Depras previously held the position of Vice President of Strategy at Nakisa, where she acted as advisor to the Chief Executive Officer to articulate the company’s growth strategy. Ms. Depras also held the position of President and Chief Operating Officer of CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association). Prior to that, she rose through the ranks to become Chief Commercial Officer at Br. Hartmann, a company specialized in the manufacturing and sale of molded fiber packaging for food and industrial products. Over her 20-year tenure with this Danish publicly listed corporation, she held various Sales and Marketing leadership positions, and was based in Frankfurt from 2002 to 2009.
Ms. Depras holds an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration (IAE) of Paris, Panthéon-Sorbonne, as well as a Master of Foreign Languages applied to Business and Trade from University of Lille.
Alex Hayden, Senior Vice President, R&D, Innovation and Sustainability, TC Transcontinental Packaging 
A global executive leader with over 20 years of experience in driving innovation, Mr. Hayden has built and led multiple cross-functional teams in developing and implementing innovation strategies and putting in place best practice innovation processes. A revered expert in identifying customer needs and translating those needs into engineering requirements, Mr. Hayden is well-known for his ability to fast track through feasibility and development stages to commercialize new products.
Mr. Hayden previously held the title of Vice President, R&D and Product Commercialization at Amcor Flexibles Americas, based in Chicago. From 2012 to 2016, he was based in Zurich, Switzerland while he was Director, Research and Development, at Amcor Flexibles Europe, Middle East and Africa. Prior to this role, he also worked in technology and product development at the Amcor Flexibles Healthcare division in Madison, Wisconsin.
Mr. Hayden holds a Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.