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— Genera, a manufacturer of domestically sourced and produced ag-based pulp and molded fiber products, announced today that it has hired packaging industry veteran James Davidson as its new chief commercial officer in charge of developing the company’s commercial strategy and rapid expansion plans.
Davidson will create value for Genera’s customers by helping them move toward more sustainable packaging products to meet their environmental and sustainability goals, including net zero commitments.
“We are excited about the broad packaging industry experience James brings to Genera,” said Dr. Kelly Tiller, CEO of Genera. “He adds significant commercial expertise to our leadership team and his background will help us accelerate our growth as we look to build on our strong external brand and long-term sustainable business development.”
Davidson has more than 20 years of experience in progressive packaging industry leadership roles in sales, marketing, operations and product development. His background in delivering strategies to increase commercial sales and marketing and identifying new business pipelines to boost revenue positions him to lead Genera’s sales growth, taking advantage of the company’s rapidly expanding production capacity.
Last year, Genera was acquired by Ara Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in industrial decarbonization investments. As part of the purchase, Ara committed up to $200 million in additional capital to support significant expansion of the company's sustainable pulp and packaging business.
“I am honored to work with Genera and our customers to accelerate the path toward lower carbon emissions and reduced waste while supporting our local farmers,” Davidson said. “Genera offers our customers unique solutions to some of the industry’s biggest challenges with unmatched and proprietary expertise in pulp science, processing, and manufacturing. Genera’s vertical integration from domestic carbon-negative, agri-positive farm operations through to finished product offers unparalleled sustainability, supply security and manufacturing scale.”
In his previous roles, Davidson managed commercial activities across multiple countries and led several packaging businesses through various stages of growth. He said he plans to leverage this experience to help Genera as it expands across new markets and adds new products.
“The Genera team brings together deep scientific knowledge, industry and functional expertise combined with the most advanced partners in the industry,” Davidson said. “I’m very excited to be working with a company that is at the forefront of decarbonization solutions that are beneficial for our food supply, highly adaptable, and perfectly aligned with our customers’ needs and commitments.”
Davidson is a graduate of Clemson University in South Carolina with a degree in packaging engineering. He has been a long-time board member of the trade association PAC Global and serves as a PAC Global Awards expert panel judge.
For more information about Genera, visit https://generainc.com