Gerrit Heske new President of Ball Packaging Europe

Ball Corporation announced today that Gerrit Heske will take over as President of Ball Packaging Europe with immediate effect. His predecessor, Michael D. Herdman, has been appointed to the new position of Chief Commercial Officer, focusing on Ball Corporation’s global metal beverage packaging customers and is returning to the USA.

Gerrit Heske, 44, began his career at Ball Packaging Europe in 1993 at the metal beverage packaging plant in Braunschweig, Germany. He has been Head of Quality Assurance and Vice President, Manufacturing and Technology in that business. Most recently, Heske held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Ball Packaging Europe.

Michael D. Herdman, 58, has been with Ball Corporation since 2004, first as President of Ball’s American metal beverage packaging division and most recently as President of Ball Packaging Europe. His 37-year packaging career includes managing can making operations in Asia and Europe; directing worldwide business development through a global licensee network; and managing a plastic container division in the United States.

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Ball Packaging Europe is one of the leading beverage can makers in Europe with 2,900 employees and twelve production sites in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland and Serbia. The company is a subsidiary of Ball Corporation, which produces high-quality metal and plastic packaging for beverage, food and household products customers. In addition Ball Corporation supplies aerospace technology as well as other technology and services, primarily to the US-American government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,000 people worldwide and in 2008 reported sales of 7.6 billion US dollars.