Meet this Year's Finalist Team Mentors and Final Judges
Finalist Team Mentors
Bailey Little | Senior Manager, Sustainability & Transformation, The Coca-Cola Company | As Senior Manager, Sustainability Trends, Bailey supports Coca-Cola's global technical sustainability team on sustainability reporting, target setting, KPI tracking, and sustainability data transformation across The Coca-Cola System's operations. She works with all Operating Units, Flavor Manufacturing, Commercial Product Supply, and Global Ventures on holistic sustainability strategy and reporting. Bailey joined Coca-Cola in the fall of 2023 after working in Energy & Sustainability consulting space, focusing on energy procurement and decarbonization.
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Lisa Van Der Vorst | Senior Sales Director, Mold-Masters, A Hillenbrand Company | Lisa van der Vorst is the Senior Director of Sales for North America with Mold-Masters, bringing over 30 years of expertise in sales and global account management within the plastics industry—including hot runners and injection molding machines. With a career spanning both the USA and Europe, she has held key leadership roles, driving growth, building high-performing teams, and fostering lasting customer relationships. With a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration, Lisa combines technical expertise with strategic business acumen to deliver innovative solutions. Her experience and forward-thinking approach empower her to anticipate customer needs, optimize performance, and drive sustainable success in a competitive market.
Mark Rasberry | Senior Director, Digital Workplace Solutions & UX, The Coca-Cola Company | Mark Rasberry is the Senior Director of Digital Workplace Solutions & UX. In this role, Mark leads the development and implementation of digital workplace strategies that enhance user experience and drive innovation within the organization. Mark oversees various projects, including solution design, user experience research, and the development of digital tools and platforms. Collaborating closely with different departments and functions, Mark ensures that digital solutions align with business goals and improve overall productivity.
Maxim Ruff | Sales Manager, Coperion, A Hillenbrand Company | Maxim Ruff currently serves as Sales Manager at Coperion GmbH, where he leads international business development and client engagement in the field of industrial plant engineering. With over two decades of experience in mechanical and process engineering, he has held various leadership roles in project management, service innovation, and technical sales across Europe and Asia. He holds a Master of Science in Mechatronics and a Master of Arts in Business and Leadership for Engineers and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. focused on business model innovation in the era of servitization and digitalization. Maxim brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective, combining deep technical expertise with strategic insight into sustainable industrial transformation.
Taylor Royer | Manager, Global Packaging Development & Innovation - Sustainability, The Coca-Cola Company | Taylor Royer serves as Manager, Packaging Development at the Coca-Cola Company. In this role, Taylor supports sustainability initiatives for packaging in North America and is involved in project involving many different packaging formats. Taylor is passionate about continually learning about sustainability and how it can be applied to make an impact.
Final Judges
Christopher Dow | Global Business Development Manager, Coperion Recycling, A Hillenbrand Company
Chris is a seasoned professional who has dedicated his career to advancing recycling infrastructure on an international scale. In 2006, he played a pivotal role in constructing the UK’s first food-grade rHDPE and rPET recycling plant—a groundbreaking achievement showcasing a blend of technical expertise with entrepreneurial vision. Drawing on extensive experience in business development and senior management, Chris channels his passion for environmental sustainability into working alongside experts to develop new recycling technologies and expanding the recycling industry worldwide. His work not only enhances operational efficiencies across the recycling process but also fosters significant contributions toward a circular economy. Chris regularly lends his insight and expertise to both government bodies and industry leaders, advising on policies and strategic initiatives that drive sustainable practices. Currently, as the Global Business Development Manager with Coperion Recycling, he continues to spearhead transformative efforts, helping to set the standard for future innovations in recycling technology.
Conor Carlin | President, Clefs Advisory, LLC
Conor Carlin is the President of Clefs Advisory, LLC, a consultancy focused on plastics, packaging, sustainability, and policy. He was elected as the first Vice President of Sustainability for the Society of Plastics Engineers in 2017 and has served as moderator and speaker at global SPE events in North America, Europe, Australia and India. As SPE President in 2024, he led the group’s delegation to Busan, South Korea for the UN Global Plastics Treaty discussions and continues to advocate for science-based targets to global environmental challenges. Conor is the co-author and editor of the 2nd edition of “Plastics & Sustainability: Grey is the New Green” published by Scrivener/Wiley (2021). In addition, his writing on sustainable materials management has been featured in industry publications in North America, Europe, and China. Conor has led several field consulting management projects covering energy efficiency software applications, 2nd generation cellulosic ethanol start-ups, wastewater treatment companies, and plastic recycling technologies. Conor has degrees from Boston University (BA, International Relations / French) and the FW Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College (MBA). He currently serves as Committee Member for the Plymouth (Massachusetts) Climate Action Net Zero Board and the Recycling Committee.
Sai Mukkamala | Director of Strategy & Planning for the Sustainability Team, The Coca-Cola Company
Sai Mukkamala is the Director of Strategy & Planning for the Sustainability Team at Coca-Cola. In his role, Sai manages the integrated planning & performance for the North America Sustainability Team, including facilitating development of multi-year strategies and supporting the roadmap of initiatives and performance measurement capabilities. He manages strategic planning work on behalf of the Sustainability group, developing holistic and integrated business goals and priorities embedded within Operating, Marketing, and Customer plans to deliver World Without Waste, Water, Energy & Carbon objectives. He is responsible for ensuring that the long-range sustainability planning and financial budget is aligned with Marketing, Finance, and Technical teams to deliver on corporate commitments. Prior to his current role, he worked in investment strategy, commodities, supply-chain, and financial planning & risk management at Coca-Cola and in the financial services industry. Sai attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned dual-bachelor's degrees in Finance and Computer Science through the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology at the Wharton School and served as the co-founder of Penn Microfinance. Sai earned his MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where he focused his studies on General Management, Operations, Strategy, and Finance. At Kellogg, Sai served as director of the Kellogg Marketing Club and received the Northwestern Buffett Sustainability Award from the Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.
