Bittersweet update from Steve Larsen as he exits Packsize for automation engineering role at Walmart

Steve Larsen has left Packsize, which builds automated solutions that create right sized packaging, where he spent almost nine years, most recently serving as CEO, Europe.

In a LinkedIn post, she said: "Bittersweet update. Today (Friday, 24th April) was my last day with Packsize. Over the last eight plus years at Packsize, the company has dramatically changed and grown. I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with great leaders who truly believed in me and supported me through my journey. I will be forever grateful for the time spent with the company, the lessons learned, the teams we created, machines we developed, and the opportunity to contribute to what Packsize is today."

He added: "I am confident in where the business is globally. We have great momentum in Europe and the US and I believe the company is pointed in the right direction. I have to thank leadership team who believed in me and gave me opportunities to develop. There are many other leaders, colleagues, and team members who I will miss and have deep respect for. The people at Packsize are what makes Packsize great."

Larsen has taken a position with Walmart within Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Automation Engineering Vik Gopalakrishnan's team as VP, FC Automation Engineering. He and his family will be relocating to Bentonville, USA in the coming weeks.

"Many of the highlights of my career so far have come when working with Walmart and I am excited to join the team and get to work!" he concluded.

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Automation will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.