Last night, the winners of the Label Industry Global Awards 2024 were announced at Parkway Bank Park in Rosemont, Illinois, during the first evening of Labelexpo Americas 2024.

The R.Stanton Avery Special Recognition Award sponsored by Avery Dennison, went to Ferdinand Rüesch IV, Senior Vice President, Global Key Accounts, Gallus Ferd. Rüesch AG – known throughout the industry as Ferdi. This award recognizes outstanding individuals who reflect the key values and vision of label industry founder Stan Avery.

Commented Ryan Yost, president of Avery Dennison Materials Group, “Ferdi took over the Gallus Group business from his father in the 1990s, accelerating Gallus’ growth globally. His dedication to the industry and global leadership not only inspired his own team at Gallus but also set an example of excellence for the industry. His reputation as a warm-hearted and inspiring leader embodies the qualities of Stan Avery himself.”

Paul Teachout, Technical Marketing and Content Specialist at Harper Corporation of America, won the Global Achievement Award. This award celebrates individuals who have made significant lifetime contributions to the label industry both on the national and international stages.

The Label Awards judging panel commended Teachout for his wide range of contributions to the labels industry in a career spanning over 40 years. In particular, the judges noted Teachout’s tireless work promoting the labels industry as a career to students and young people, and his key work through the FTA, TLMI and Harper Corporation promoting standards for the global flexographic industry.

Andy Thomas-Emans, Chairman of the judging panel said: “I warmly congratulate Paul Teachout on winning the Label Industry Global Achievement Award, a unanimous decision by the judges. The judges particularly commended Paul’s selfless work as a mentor to young people looking to enter the label industry, championing the Phoenix Challenge competition and participating on the boards of multiple leading educational institutions.”

Alex Abbott, Chief Revenue Officer, SmartSolve was awarded the Rising Star Award sponsored by Avery Dennison. This award recognizes the achievements of emerging talent in the label and packaging industry representing the next generation of industry leaders.

The judges were impressed with the significant impact that Abbott has made since joining sustainable materials specialist SmartSolve in June 2023. The judging panel noted that he pioneered the idea of having SmartSolve’s labels undergo APR Design for Recyclability Recognition, demonstrating his forward-thinking leadership and potential for further advancement.

The Converter of the Year Award was won by NextGen Label Group. The judges were impressed by the consistent record of the NexGen Label Group in developing its staff, supporting strong engagement with local communities, outstanding sustainability initiatives and customer-focused programs delivering innovative and cost-effective packaging solutions.

The judging panel for the Label Industry Global Awards 2024 was chaired by Andy Thomas-Emans, Strategic Director, Labelexpo Global Series. The judges were Chelsea McDougall, Group Managing Editor, Labels & Labeling; Tim McDonough, Chairman, TLMI; Greg Hrinya, Editor, Label & Narrow Web; and Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor, Packaging Digest.

Commented Thomas-Emans, “We have been very impressed by the high quality of entries received for this year’s Label Industry Global Awards. I would like to thank everybody who submitted nominations, and on behalf of the judging panel, I would like to congratulate all the winners and shortlisted finalists.”

Jade Grace, Managing Director, Labelexpo Global Series commented: “Many congratulations to all this year’s Label Industry Global Awards winners and finalists. The stand-out achievements of our lifetime career winners, and the dedication, passion and leadership qualities demonstrated throughout the awards categories shows that the future of a sustainable and successful labels and package printing industry is in safe hands.”