Ted Jackson Vice President Operations, Novolex
“ꢀIfꢀyouꢀthinkꢀaboutꢀtheꢀpaceꢀofꢀtechnologicalꢀchangeꢀforꢀtheꢀnextꢀwaveꢀofꢀleadership,ꢀweꢀareꢀpreparingꢀ leadersꢀnowꢀtoꢀdoꢀworkꢀthatꢀhasn’tꢀevenꢀbeenꢀdefinedꢀyet.”ꢀ
Ted Jackson built his career as a management consultant and turn-around expert on the foundation of his engineering degree. He initially intended to go to graduate school for engineering, but instead ended up working for a company supporting public safety communications systems for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. While he enjoyed the engineering aspects of dealing with cutting edge technologies, he found the business challenges more interesting, and decided to change his direction to business consulting. After completing a successful consulting project for Novolex, a $2.5 billion international packaging company, Jackson joined full time as vice president of operations for their $700 million Duro Division, where he developed and implemented an operational improvement plan that doubled earnings of the division in two years. He now manages 10 direct and over 2500, union and non-union, indirect employees across eight Duro manufacturing facilities, including
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seven in the United States and one in Mexico. He is responsible for Novolex’s companywide environmental health and safety performance of 6000 employees in all 50 Novolex plants in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, and Europe. He also conducts due diligence for Novolex corporate acquisition targets and develops and implements post-merger integration synergy savings plans. Jackson believes flexibility and interpersonal skills will be critical for ‘the business of the future’ due to multiculturalism and globalism. These, he says, are outputs of a quality education. To this end, Jackson is involved with Social Venture Partners of Chicago which takes a venture capital approach to community engagement and educational opportunities, helping close the gap and creating a stronger pipeline to college for people of diverse backgrounds in the city. He has also established endowments to ease the financial burden for those emerging leaders who secure acceptance at college.
For those just starting out in business, Jackson’s advice is to not over commit. “One of the most valuable lessons for me has been the notion of being disciplined around under-promising and overdelivering.” He believes managing expectations can help your long-term reputation. “Early in your career, you are really anxious to prove yourself and can get into a situation where you bite off more than you can chew.”
•ꢀ Boardꢀdirector,ꢀBinkableꢀ(sinceꢀ2016) •ꢀ WonꢀtwoꢀM&AꢀAdvisor–TurnaroundꢀAwardsꢀforꢀ hisꢀworkꢀatꢀConsolidatedꢀContainerꢀCompanyꢀandꢀ SoloꢀCupꢀCompanyꢀ •ꢀ Establishedꢀendowmentsꢀatꢀbothꢀofꢀhisꢀalmaꢀ maters,ꢀClark-AtlantaꢀUniversityꢀandꢀPurdueꢀ University,ꢀtoꢀreduceꢀtheꢀfinancialꢀhardshipsꢀofꢀ studentsꢀpursuingꢀSTEMꢀandꢀbusinessꢀdegrees •ꢀ EarnedꢀSixꢀSigmaꢀBlackꢀBelt