Meet Aptar’s Global Leadership Team
Stephan Tanda
President, Chief Executive Officer and Member of Aptar’s Board of Directors
Stephan Tanda joined Aptar in February 2017 as President and CEO. On March 17, 2026, Aptar announced its leadership transition. Gael Touya has been named President and CEO, effective September 1, 2026. Stephan will continue in his role as President and CEO until then and thereafter serve as an advisor through the end of the year to help ensure a seamless transition. Stephan is also expected to retire from the Board at the end of the year.
Stephan’s tenure as CEO has been defined by performance, purpose and global expansion, both organically and approximately 20 bolt on acquisitions and investments, with the majority being in Pharma, including the acquisition of the Active Material Science business in 2018. Stephan accelerated Aptar’s presence in high-growth regions across Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East; advanced operational excellence and cost discipline; and strengthened Aptar’s global sustainability leadership.
Prior to joining Aptar, Stephan served as an Executive Managing Board Director at Royal DSM NV and oversaw its $6 billion global Nutrition business as well as its Pharma joint ventures and business interests in the Americas.
Stephan has lived and worked in seven countries while working for DuPont, Freudenberg Nonwovens Group and DSM. Over his career, Stephan has focused on developing local and global talent, building sustainable businesses and organizations while successfully delivering increased shareholder value, sales and profits, both via organic growth and via some 15 acquisitions and joint ventures.
In addition to Aptar, Stephan serves on the board of Ingredion as an Independent Director and previously served on the boards of Patheon NV and Semperit AG.
Gael Touya
President of Aptar Pharma; President and Chief Executive Officer Designate
On March 17, 2026, Aptar announced that Gael Touya, President of Aptar Pharma, has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2026.
With over 30 years at Aptar across Europe, Asia, and North America, Gael brings deep commercial, operational, and technical expertise, paired with a global mindset and a strong track record of results.
Most recently, as President of Aptar Pharma since 2018, Gael has guided the segment’s transformation into a more comprehensive, science‑driven and digitally enabled partner to many of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. He led the expansion of the segment’s technologies and services to create an integrated, end‑to‑end model that helps customers move from early formulation through clinical development and commercialization with greater efficiency. This approach combined well targeted and executed acquisitions with strategic organic development and focused innovation.
Gael’s previous roles included President of Aptar Food + Beverage (now Aptar Closures), President of Food + Beverage Europe, Vice President of Business Development for Skincare and Color Cosmetics (now part of Aptar Beauty), and leadership assignments in India where he established Aptar’s pharmaceutical office and business. He also held full P&L responsibility in China and Japan, where he led the expansion of Aptar’s presence in key high‑growth markets. Known for his people‑centered leadership, Gael is deeply committed to talent development, sustainability and fostering a culture of innovation across regions and teams.
Vanessa Kanu
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Vanessa Kanu became Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in January 2025. Vanessa has over 25 years of experience with global multi-billion dollar and publicly traded companies. Most recently she was global CFO of TELUS International, a technology services firm operating in 32 countries where she helped scale the business during a period of significant expansion through multiple strategic acquisitions and double-digit organic growth, while leading finance, internal audit, treasury, investor relations, strategy and M&A
Previously, she served as CFO of Mitel Networks Corporation, a global technology firm providing business communications including premise-based and cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions with operations in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia.
Vanessa has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of non-profit and for-profit organizations (including a NYSE listed global financial services institution) as a member of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committees.
Xiangwei Gong
Executive Vice President, Strategic Group Development and President, Aptar Asia
Xiangwei Gong joined Aptar in October 2018 as President, Aptar Asia. Xiangwei is a successful, entrepreneurial leader of B2B and B2C businesses with a career that spans over 25 years. She has a strong track record in the Beauty, Personal Care, Nutrition and Pharma industries and has lived and worked in several countries while holding increasingly senior roles for Roche Vitamins and Royal DSM.
Before joining Aptar, Xiangwei was the President of DSM Hydrocolloids, a China-based, global business, which she scaled through multiple acquisitions and strong organic growth.
Irene Hudson
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
Irene Hudson was appointed Aptar’s EVP, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary in November 2025 and is an accomplished legal professional with over 20 years of experience in corporate law, intellectual property, compliance, complex litigation and risk management. Prior to this role, Irene served as Vice President, Legal, North America and Global Regulatory, while also extensively supporting Aptar’s Pharma segment.
Before joining Aptar, she was a partner at national law firms such as Fish & Richardson and McGuireWoods where she advised global life sciences and consumer products companies on litigation, IP strategy, business transactions and regulatory matters. Irene brings a unique blend of deep industry knowledge and legal acumen, making her a trusted advisor in both commercial and scientific arenas.
Marc Prieur
President, Aptar Beauty
Marc Prieur was named President of Aptar Beauty, formerly Aptar Beauty + Home, in December 2019. Marc has made substantial contributions to Aptar over his 20+ year career, having lived and worked in Europe, the United States and China. His balanced experience includes leadership roles in Sales & Operations for Consumer Health Care in Europe and Aptar’s Pharma business in Asia.
Most recently, Marc served as President of Food + Beverage and was previously Vice President of Operational Excellence for Aptar, building up our strong Operational Excellence.
Hedi Tlili
President, Aptar Closures
Hedi Tlili was named President of Aptar Closures, formerly Aptar Food + Beverage, in December 2019. Prior to this role, Hedi led Aptar’s EMEA Beauty + Home operations and also previously oversaw Aptar’s EMEA Food + Beverage operations since joining Aptar in 2016.
He was instrumental in implementing transformation initiatives in both segments and his knowledge of developing markets, including the Middle East and Africa, is key to Aptar’s strategy execution.
Prior to joining Aptar, Hedi held leadership positions at Sonoco and Albéa, and he has lived and worked in Europe, the United States and Africa.
Shiela Vinczeller
Chief Human Resources Officer
Shiela Vinczeller joined Aptar in November 2018 as Chief Human Resources Officer. Shiela has over 25 years of global Human Resources leadership experience and brings to Aptar a strong track record of talent management with deep experience in building effective teams and inclusion, equity and belonging. Shiela has lived in worked in several countries while with the Belgian Lhoist Group and General Electric’s lighting division.
Prior to joining Aptar, Shiela spent 12 years in Human Resources leadership roles at International Paper, one of the world’s leading producers of fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper.
