With over 30 years of experience in the recycling industry and nearly 10 years working as the senior recycling manager at ACE UK, Mandy Kelly has been appointed as Chief Executive of the liquid carton trade association.
Mandy is taking the reins from Richard Hands, who has led ACE UK since its founding in 2010. As the new Chief Executive of ACE UK, Mandy brings comprehensive experience of the UK recycling landscape; having previously worked as the business development director for Palm Recycling and serving as a member of the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) Recovered Paper Committee.
Ahead of his retirement in spring 2025, Richard will continue to support Mandy and the ACE UK team in their ongoing campaign to increase liquid carton collection, sorting and recycling across the UK. In his 14 years with ACE UK, Richard has overseen the development and growth of the association, including the construction of the UK’s first dedicated liquid carton recycling facility, pioneered new automated sorting technologies in Ireland, and successfully campaigned for key recycling policy changes across the UK.
With Richard stepping back from the association, ACE UK will also be recruiting an external affairs manager in the coming months to support the next stage of Defra’s waste, recycling and taxation policy reforms.
Mandy has been appointed at a crucial time for the industry, as ACE UK accelerates its Carton Ready campaign to implement the Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms which will require all English local authorities to collect cartons from the kerbside. She brings an unparalleled level of knowledge and experience, as ACE UK looks towards the next phase of its roadmap towards reaching a 90% collection rate and 70% recycling rate of all liquid cartons by 2030.
New ACE UK Chief Executive Mandy Kelly said: “I am honoured to be following Richard as CEO of ACE UK. Over the last 14 years, ACE UK has achieved so much under his leadership – leaving some big shoes to fill.
“Following my tenure as senior recycling manager, I am thrilled to be leading ACE UK through the next steps on our journey towards full collection and recycling, championing liquid cartons as a fully-recyclable, sustainable and renewable packaging option.
“I look forward to continuing our work with the new Government and local authorities across the UK to implement Simpler Recycling reforms.”
Richard Hands, outgoing Chief Executive of ACE UK, said: “I am immensely proud of everything we have achieved at ACE UK over the last 14 years and to pass leadership of the organisation into Mandy’s capable hands.
“Her extensive experience and peerless understanding of the recycling industry will be invaluable as ACE UK continues to drive liquid carton recycling across the UK.”
The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK represents Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc, the leading manufacturers of liquid cartons for the UK and European markets.