Jeremy Schwartz, the brains behind the Coke Zero concept, has been confirmed as the final keynote speaker at the
PPMA Show 2026 by organisers
Automate UK. Mr Schwarz, who is also the former CEO of Pandora, The Body Shop and L’Oreal, will deliver his keynote speech Purpose, Performance and Profit on day two of the show, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham from 22-24 September.
His address will be one of the highlights of the UK’s biggest processing and packaging machinery, robotics and industrial vision event, which provides visitors from across the manufacturing industry with access to expert insight, cutting-edge technology and solutions and live equipment demonstrations.
Mr Schwartz, whose background studying metallurgy at Sheffield and production engineering at Cambridge, combined with a first role at The Boston Consulting Group led to his passion for research and development, is best known for his role as European innovation director at Coca-Cola. This role saw him propose the consumer concept and co-create Coke Zero, turning it into a multi-billion-dollar global brand. His keynote address will draw on the lessons learned over his career to explore how organisations have to drive sustainable growth at scale by combining commercial ambition, innovation and dynamic manufacturing.
Scott McKenna, chief operating officer at Automate UK, said: “We are thrilled to announce Jeremy’s presence at the show. At a time when the manufacturing sector is facing a skills shortage, there is huge emphasis on inspiring, developing and retaining talent, and the topic is one of Jeremy’s biggest passions. He is a champion of innovating the way we work to release the latent talent and potential of all employees and helping to hone it, something we at Automate UK strive to encourage our members to do, and we can’t think of anyone better placed to inspire visitors to follow their lead.
He continued: “His education and early career journey firmly rooted R&D, IT systems and production optimisation at the heart of his focus, and his subsequent track record in creating a culture of brand, product and sourcing innovation to drive growth and business success is second-to-none. His address is sure to be a must-see highlight of the show.”
Mr Schwartz’s address completes the show’s keynote speaker line-up. He joins Dr Kevin Fong and Martin McCourt, who will present their speeches on the first and final days of the event respectively.