CHICAGO - SGK, a division of Matthews International Corporation, and a leading global brand development, activation and deployment provider that drives brand performance, announced today that it has appointed Eric Schultz, vice president of business development for the Americas region.

Schultz will be responsible for driving business development initiatives across consumer packaged goods (CPGs), retail and healthcare sectors in the Americas to deliver strategic brand solutions designed to drive brand performance, to marketers on a global, regional and local level.

With a proven track record of bringing innovations to market, Schultz is uniquely experienced in bringing great design to the masses. His background includes over 18 years in product development, innovation and brand building by collaborating with agencies, suppliers, converters and CPGs. Most recently, as associate director, packaging innovation and design, at Kraft Foods Group, he managed the company’s structural design lab, brought in new prototyping capabilities, and set the structural packaging design strategy for the entire organization. He also developed and drove best practices, facilitated ideation sessions and developed the “inspired design brief.”

Prior to joining Kraft, Schultz held progressively senior packaging innovation roles at agencies including a nine-year tenure with Kaleidoscope, a Chicago based brand strategy and design agency with locations in New York, and the U.K. Here, Schultz leveraged consumer insights, best-in-class packaging material technology and world-class design capabilities to deliver exceptional results. Schultz began his career as a Prototype Engineer and Product Model Maker giving him early stage insights into solving engineering problems using design.

Schultz said: “I am excited to be in a position to help SGK deliver greater value to marketers in some of the most competitive and fast changing industries today. I look forward to collaborating with our new product development group, clients and SGK business leadership to develop innovative strategies and solutions that drive growth at the brand level.”

Kim Cooper, senior vice present, business development, SGK said: “With a strong brand, design and business development background, coupled with a deeply rooted desire to win, Eric will be a great addition to the SGK business development team. His proven ability to connect with marketers to co-create and co-realize innovative new product solutions will elevate our brand development offering to the market.”

Schultz's unique pedigree mixes strategic design thinking, creative discipline and tactical know-how. He is a member of the Industrial Design Society of America (ISDA) and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In the late 1990s,

Schultz enjoyed a professional minor league baseball career as a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays.