“We’re considering a significant number of new acquisitions which, along with anticipated organic growth, will help grow Barry-Wehmiller into a $5 billion organization in the near future,” said CEO Bob Chapman. “This plan for targeted robust growth of both our business and our cultural initiatives calls us to make sure we remain steadfast in our commitment to our highest purpose: meaningful work and a secure future for the team members who devote their lives every day to our success. Being able to bring on someone of the caliber—both in experience and character—of Carol places the review of our long-term strategy and its impact on our people-centric culture into extremely capable hands.”
O’Neill has extensive background in leadership, packaging, and manufacturing as well as consulting and information technology. She began her career with a management consulting firm in Boston and led productivity improvement efforts at the New York City Transit Authority before entering the packaging world as director of performance improvement at Sealed Air. There she played many roles including chief information officer and senior VP of business development. O’Neill left Sealed Air to run a $300 million private food company in Chicago until enticed back into the packaging industry to run Spartech’s (now PolyOne) packaging business. O’Neill left PolyOne to join Barry-Wehmiller as a consultant to support the acquisition and integration of Arcil, the Paris-based fresh dairy packaging firm acquired by Barry-Wehmiller in December of 2013.
“I have been tied to the Barry-Wehmiller organization for almost a decade now and have always felt a powerful affinity for its culture and values,” O’Neill said. “Over the years I have challenged Bob and his team to do everything possible to ensure that those values and the culture they’ve carefully nurtured pervade this organization for generations to come. I am thrilled to be in a position to directly contribute to that effort as a part of the Barry-Wehmiller team.”
O’Neill has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and master’s degrees in business administration and food research from Stanford University.
