International Bottled Water Association
NEWS RELEASE
September 13, 2023
IBWA Announces 2023-2024 Officers and Board of Directors
Las Vegas, NV – The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) has announced its 2023-2024 officers and Board of Directors. IBWA members elected the Association’s leadership today during the 2023 IBWA Annual Business Conference, which is being held in Las Vegas, from September 11 – 14, 2023.
Hih Song Kim, BlueTriton Brands’ EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, was elected to serve as Chair of the IBWA Board of Directors for 2023-2024, of which she’s been a member since 2021. She previously served as Vice Chair. She is also a member of the Association’s executive committee.
The IBWA members approved the following slate of officers for 2023-2024:
- Hih Song Kim (BlueTriton Brands) – Chair
- Doug Hidding (Blackhawk Molding Co., Inc) – Vice Chair
- Joe Bell (Aqua Filter Fresh, Inc.) – Treasurer
- Henry R. Hidell, III (Hidell International) – Immediate Past Chair
The following IBWA members were re-elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term, expiring in 2026:
- Joe Bell (Aqua Filter Fresh, Inc.)
- Jillian Olsen (Cherry Ridge Consulting)
- Dave Redick (Steelhead, Inc.)
- Brad Wester (Premium Waters)
Other IBWA members who currently serve on the Board of Directors include:
- Shayron Barnes-Selby (Primo Water Corporation)
- CR Hall (Hall’s Culligan Water)
- Tanner Hanstein (Eureka Water Company)
- Ryan Heiken (Crystal Clear Bottled Water)
- Brian Hess (Niagara Bottling)
- Dan Kelly (Polymer Solutions International, Inc.)
- Robert Smith (Grand Springs)
- Bill Young (Absopure Water Company, Inc.)
Incoming IBWA Chair Kim said: “What a tremendous honor and responsibility to serve as the next Chair of the International Bottled Water Association.”
“IBWA has a long history of supporting our industry as we provide consumers and communities with the best beverage anyone can drink — water,” said Ms. Kim.
“I look forward to building on that legacy and elevating the national conversation on important issues of the day, including sustainability, water quality and access, and the importance of water in advancing health and well-being.”
Ms. Kim said she will work with IBWA members on opportunities to build on the industry’s history of making the healthy choice of water an easy and convenient one, guided by IBWA’s mission statement of environmental responsibility and sustainability.
For more information about IBWA, see: www.bottledwater.org.
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Media Contact:
Jill Culora
jculora@bottledwater.org
703.647.4609
The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled waters, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling. Founded in 1958, IBWA’s membership includes U.S. and international bottlers, distributors and suppliers. IBWA is committed to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates bottled water as a packaged food product, to set comprehensive and stringent standards for safe, high-quality bottled water products.
In addition to FDA regulations, IBWA member bottlers must adhere to the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice, which mandates additional standards and practices that in some cases are more stringent than federal and state regulations. A key feature of the IBWA Bottled Water Code of Practice is a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent, third-party organization.
