London Packaging Week has unveiled the first wave of speakers for its 2026 conference programme, bringing together senior leaders from global brands, retailers, sustainability organisations, creative studios, and design consultancies to explore how packaging is evolving from a functional discipline into a strategic business driver.
Taking place on 16 & 17 September at Excel London, the event will welcome more than 5,700 visitors, 220 exhibitors and 90 expert speakers across three conference stages, reinforcing its position as London's leading event for packaging innovation, design and business strategy.
The programme reflects packaging's evolution into a central strategic consideration that now influences sustainability performance, regulatory readiness, consumer engagement, brand growth, and commercial resilience.
Among those confirmed is Esther Carter, Chief Strategy Officer at PackUK, whose keynote — Next steps for industry in the evolution of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) — will explore the UK EPR scheme's journey to date and highlight key innovations being implemented across industry and local authorities.
Joining her is Alex Center, Founder and Designer at CENTER, whose career spans nearly a decade shaping iconic brands at The Coca-Cola Company, including vitaminwater and smartwater, before going on to build culturally influential brands, including Liquid Death, Kin Euphorics, Apple, and New Balance. At London Packaging Week, Center will take audiences behind the creation of Tom Holland's premium non-alcoholic beer brand BERO, exploring how packaging, storytelling, and visual identity can transform products into cultural brands.
The programme will also feature Piera Toniolo, Global Head of Influencer Marketing at Dolce & Gabbana, whose keynote will explore one of luxury's defining challenges: how brands preserve heritage and authenticity while remaining culturally relevant to new generations.
Also confirmed is Jeremy Lindley, Global Design Director at Diageo, who joins Ico Hernandez, Creative Director at Bulletproof, in a session exploring how global brands activate across their portfolio through limited-edition packaging for the FIFA World Cup.
"The strength of this year's line-up reflects how far packaging has evolved as a discipline and how central it has become to the way modern businesses operate," said Casey McHugh, Conference & Community Manager at Easyfairs. "These are no longer niche or technical conversations taking place at the edges of industry; they are about cultural relevance."
The remaining headliners bring a strong sustainability and retail perspective, including contributors from the British Soft Drinks Association, WRAP, British Retail Consortium, British Beauty Council, and Walpole, alongside circular-economy organisations such as OPRL and Ecosurety. Global brands represented include PepsiCo, Suntory Food & Beverages, William Grant & Sons, Compass Box Whisky, Molton Brown, PZ Cussons, L'Occitane Group, Müller Group, and Selfridges.
Across the FMCG Stage, discussions will focus on systems, regulation, and behaviours shaping a more circular future for packaging, while the Luxury Stage will explore how brands use packaging design to create emotional connection and commercial impact.
Attendees can register for a complimentary ticket, providing access to the full conference programme featuring over 90 industry experts, innovators and brand leaders from across the global packaging value chain.