Vitaliano Torno appointed new European Container Glass Federation president

The European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) has appointed Owens-Illinois (O-I) Europe managing director Vitaliano Torno as its new president.

The announcement was made little more than month after Torno assumed responsbility for O-I’s largest region, replacing Erik Bouts as the most senior level executive for the glass bottle manufacturer in Europe.

FEVE represents an industry that directly employs 50,000 people across more than 160 facilities producing a range of glass packaging products for the food and drinks industries, and its members operate plants in 23 European member states.

Torno said: “I am eager to put my experiences in the industry at the service of FEVE members. I believe in a strong future of glass as the packaging material of reference. However, we need to challenge ourselves to ensure we meet our customers and consumers’ needs. Glass is made from nature, it is safe for health, it is infinitely recyclable, loved and trusted by people; these benefits are sometimes taken for granted, but actually they make our packaging solutions unique. As an industry association, it is our role to make those benefits more visible and valued”.

The federation also elected Niall Wall, who has been chief executive officer of the Ardagh Group since 2007, as its new vice president.

Wall added: “Vitaliano is a glass industry veteran, he knows the industry very well – a great attribute for his new role as FEVE president. He is the right person to lead the federation, and I am really happy to support him in this role to reshape FEVE and mould a new industry vision for the future.”