Women in packaging annual event at Pack Expo Chicago 2024

At the third annual Women in Packaging (WIP) event, held at Pack Expo Chicago 2024, the event brought together a record number of women from across various fields within the packaging industry. From sales, operations, and technical specialists the diversity was inspiring, strengthening, and empowering. This diversity was highlighted by the speakers at the event.

The event commenced with a keynote speech by Valentina Aureli, CEO of Aetna Group. She provided her outlook of the company’s achievements, her vision of the female role within the company, and the future she envisions for women within the industry. Highlighting the importance of key themes for the modern industry, such as flexibility of thought, openness to dialogue, and the principle of collaboration, Valentina Aureli concluded by stating, “Approaching success with value and knowing how to recognize priorities are key elements for staying dynamic and growing together, both as women and as a Group.”

The event also highlighted three very diverse guest speakers. These speakers were selected among their peers not only due to their achievements, but also because they exemplify strong women within the packaging industry. Each woman is an example of how she was inspired, how she was strengthened, and how she was empowered to become the success she is today.

Carla D, Regional Territory Manager at Paragon Films, shared her infectious energetic perspective on how knowledge is power. She emphasized the importance of becoming an expert in a specific field, passionately choosing the right product to focus on, and making the most of one’s abilities. Carla also encouraged the women to push outside of their comfort zone and to be more hands on.

Kelly Beerman, Equipment & Packaging Specialist at Midland Packaging, shared her remarkable success as the “Robot Queen,” having reached the milestone of 600 robots sold in the past years. Her keys to success are based on deeply understanding the customers’ needs, improving efficiencies through understanding workflow processes, and ensuring that the solutions provided were the most impactful. By expanding on her technical knowledge, she has been able to offer more value to her customers as well as set herself apart.

Flor Del Rio, Packaging Sales Partner at Associated Packaging, was the final speaker at the event. Flor shared how her father inspired her to become the strong woman she is today. Flor shared how she is not only a woman that sells the machine, but she shared how she is also the woman that puts the machine together. She accents the importance of not being afraid to ask questions and how collaboration amongst colleagues and suppliers is critical to success.

Tyng Wu (Robopac USA Regional Sales Manager) who inspired the WIP initiative from the beginning affirms “The conceptualisation and initiation of the WIP program is based on three key components: networking, where we inspire; mentorship, where we strengthen; and education, where we empower. The combination of these three key components makes the Robopac USA WIP program unique within the industry. This uniqueness sets us apart from other machinery manufacturers.”

The annual event not only highlighted diversity among the group, but it also brought together the three key components of the WIP program. “Our commitment is to support those who strive for excellence, fostering an environment where synergy among people is encouraged,” concluded Valentina Aureli.

WIP events and initiatives such as the WIP sales training program reaffirms, Aetna Group’s commitment to pushing women to the forefront. It’s not only a commitment to being the leader in innovation, but it’s also to being the leader in helping women make an impact within the industry. The time is now, the moment is here.