Press Release: New Vice Chair Appointed for the IRI Board of Advisors

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Laura Buen Abad Appointed as Vice Chair of the IRI Board of Advisors

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 19, 2024  CONTACT: NAM Media Relations
 
Announcing the New Vice Chair for the IRI Board of Advisors
 
Washington, D.C. – The National Association of Manufacturers’ Innovation Research Interchange is pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Buen Abad as the new Vice Chair of the IRI Board of Advisors.
 
“Laura has consistently shown her appreciation for the innovation community and the Innovation Research Interchange, both at the board level and through volunteering to take an active role in our in-person events,” said IRI Chair Craig Slavtcheff, Chief Research at Kimberly-Clark. “She is passionate about the role IRI plays and understands how best to tell the story of what is possible through innovation.”
 
Laura is currently serving as Sonoco’s Vice President of Technology and Marketing for Thermoformed and Flexible Packaging, bringing nearly 25 years of multinational experience in new product and business development, R&D, marketing and communications, acquisitions, and innovation. In addition to her professional role, she also chairs Sonoco’s Corporate Technology Council.
 
The Vice Chair of the IRI Board of Advisors automatically succeeds to the office of Chair of the Board and serves as Chair when that officer cannot do so. This role is a volunteer leader who works with the IRI Membership team to ensure we continue to add value and grow the organization. Laura’s term as Vice Chair will end on Jan. 1, 2025, when she is slated to become the IRI Chair.

For more information on our board, click here.
 
Background: A longstanding member of IRI since 2016 and a speaker at numerous in-person events, Laura has served as a volunteer board member since 2021. She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) and an MBA in International Business from the University of South Carolina.
 
 
-NAM-
The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs 13 million men and women, contributes $2.75 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.
 
-Innovation Research Interchange-
Innovation Research Interchange (formerly the Industrial Research Institute) is an inclusive membership organization with hundreds of global members in private-sector companies, federally funded laboratories, universities and others. Founded in 1938, we lead and advance the field of innovation management by creating contemporary practices. Some of the world’s most widely adopted models—such as “open innovation,” “front end of innovation” and “stage-gate”—were born from the work of our members.  We value strength in cooperation and partner with other organizations at the forefront of developments in innovation management, creating a hub for all to convene and contribute in an experimental, noncompetitive and noncommercial environment. For more information, visit www.iriweb.org.