Advisory Board

Advisory Board Members

The 2018 Digital Packaging Summit will feature a range of industry experts discussing the trends and topics attendees need to help them make difficult decisions and deploy solutions.  The program will feature Conference Co-Chairs Marco Boer and Kevin Karstedt, and several other industry thought leaders and experts.

Marco Boer, Vice President, IT Strategies  (Conference Co-Chair)

Marco Boer is recognized as a trusted consultant to the digital printing industry.   He has a reputation for being able to put complex information and concepts into a context that is easily understood by his audience.  With more than 22 years of experience in advising and guiding senior executives of Fortune 1000 and smaller innovative companies to successful business solutions in emerging digital printing markets, Mr. Boer has developed an extensive network of industry contacts in both the printing and investor community.

Mr. Boer is Vice President at I.T. Strategies where he focuses on product planning for graphics, transaction, and publishing printers and emerging industrial digital printing applications such as label printing, packaging printing, other non-document applications.  During his tenure in the industry he has concentrated on researching applications and sizing markets for ink jet and laser printing technology, and has been a proponent for the use of digital color printing in business and industrial applications.  Mr. Boer is an alumnus of the University of Maryland located in College Park, Maryland.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and international business.  Mr. Boer has lived and traveled extensively through Europe, and has spend more than 500 days in Japan during his career in the digital printing industry.

Kevin Karstedt, CEO, Karstedt Partners, LLC  (Conference Co-Chair)

Company founder and CEO, Kevin Karstedt has been a sought after speaker on digital workflows and Digital Printing for many years. Kevin has been asked to speak on four continents and has presented to 1000s of people at venues large and small. He has been in 100s of plants, spoken to 1000s of innovators, and signed and initiated 100s of Non Disclosure Agreements. It has been said about Karstedt Partners that they know more about "what's 'cookin' in the kitchen" at technology developers than the patent office.

Building on a corporate reputation of being both visionary and pragmatic, Karstedt Partners, LLC offers insightful and actionable guidance to companies looking to; use existing technologies in innovative ways, build new processes or solutions and bring them to market, validate business and technology prospects. Since 1996 Karstedt Partners has been a trusted source for insights, innovations, and consulting services to constituents in all sectors of the consumer products and packaging supply chain. Brand Owners, Graphic Service Providers, Package Printers, and OEMs have counted on Karstedt Partners counsel and guidance with developing efficient and effective workflows and tools aimed at improving time-to-market and product quality.

Bob Leahey, Director, Keypoint Intelligence - InfoTrends

Bob Leahey has many years of experience in consulting to the peripherals and supplies industries. At Keypoint Interlligence - InfoTrends, where he has worked since 1996, he regularly conducts custom research projects, most often on laser, ink jet, thermal print technologies used for and industrial applications. In 2009, he started a subscription consulting service that focuses on the use of production level color digital presses for printing packaging and labels. Bob's clients include many printer and supplies manufacturers in all regions. He has also been author or co-author of many syndicated research reports, on topics such as color digital packaging and label presses, ink jet coders, and point of sale receipt printers. He is working now on a report about the current and prospective markets for digitally printed packaging in China.

Christopher J. Curran, Executive Vice President - Printing, Packaging, Publishing, NAPCO Media

Chris brings more than 20 years of experience to the DPS Advisory Board through his association with the printing industry. He has held numerous leadership roles with Heidelberg, HP Indigo, and LANDA in equipment sales, financial consulting, business development, public relations, and marketing communications. He is actively involved in launching PRINTING United in partnership with the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA). Today, Curran is Executive Vice President at NAPCO Media for the Print, Packaging, and Publishing Group which encompasses their brands, Printing Impressions, packagePRINTING, and In-Plant Graphics. 

Brian Ludwick, VP, Publisher/Brand Director, packagePRINTING

Brian has been Publisher of packagePRINTING, the leading industry trade magazine and marketing services resource for the packaging printing and converting industries, for over 28 years. packagePRINTING serves the tag & label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated markets. His extensive industry knowledge and contacts has led Brian to serve on many panels and boards across the U.S. He continues to work closely with trade shows, associations, converters and suppliers to help promote not only their individual interests, but the entire industries as a whole.

Cory Francer, Editor-in-Chief, packagePRINTING

Cory Francer has served as editor ofpackagePRINTINGsince 2014, and has spent the last 10 years working in the journalism, media and publishing fields. In his time withpackagePRINTING, Cory has helped grow the publication in print and beyond, positioning it to serve as the leading source of industry news and information for all packaging segments and printing technologies. Cory has helped developpackagePRINTINGinto an omni-channel brand that includes digital and print content, multimedia, research, e-learning, live events and more.