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.

ADM, a global leader in sustainable agriculture supply chains, is advancing its commitment to fostering sustainable farming practices and enhancing community resilience through a strategic partnership with Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), a non-governmental organisation dedicated to empowering women in low-income, climate-threatened communities. The core of this collaboration is SSP’s innovative Women-led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF) model—an empowering force that enables women to act as influential change agents, driving the adoption of food-secure practices on their farms.

Funded by ADM, the project kicked off last December and is scheduled to run for a year, supporting some 1,500 women farmers across 30 villages in Maharashtra district. In the face of climate change in India, where erratic weather conditions have wiped out crops across an area of 9.4 million hectares in Maharashtra¹, small farmers in the region, especially women, face struggles, including crop failures and limited resources. Yet even among adversity, women’s roles in agriculture remain crucial and transformative.

“While the WCRF model is centred on Marathwada in the Indian state of Maharashtra, we recognise the broader challenges across India and have incorporated our philosophy and practises into various corporate social responsibility programmes since 2019,” said Amrendra Mishra, Country Manager of India and Managing Director of Oilseeds at ADM. “Recognising the profound impact of climate change on the livelihoods of small and marginal farming households in the region, ADM is committed to driving positive change and resilience. Through comprehensive training and the promotion of economic and social resilience, we aspire to contribute to the enduring sustainability of women and their households. Our efforts focus on improving productivity, increasing income, enhancing family health and nutrition, and building resilience for a more robust and secure agrarian community.”

Through the WCRF model, ADM aims to equip women farmers with the necessary tools and knowledge for climate-resilient farming practices. The project not only addresses environmental concerns but also empowers communities from within, paving the way toward a sustainable and food-secure future for all involved. The WCRF model centers around four key components: empowerment, food security,
livelihoods, and natural resources.

To implement this model effectively, SSP has established a supportive network that involves collaboration with the government, agro-tech partners, training partners, and knowledge and resource partners. On the ground, Krishi Samvad Sahayak (KSS), an agriculture conversation facilitator, plays a pivotal role, serving as a bridge between the model’s network and women farmers by disseminating the model, ensuring constant communication, and providing support for the women farmers involved.

“SSP has been working closely with ADM for the past two years, and together we have embarked on meaningful initiatives that brought positive results,” said Mr. Upmanyu Patil, Director of Programs at SSP. “In our first year, we built 100 farm ponds in Dharashiv District and developed water conservation plans for 100 villages. In the current year, we are dedicated to promoting climate-smart agriculture reaching out to 30 villages and 1,500 farmers in the Marathwada region. Leveraging ADM’s ability to implement and scale as an industry leader, we believe that the potential for collaboration is vast. Collectively, we can support market linkages, ensure access to government schemes, and advance water-efficient irrigation practices and crops, supporting and empowering local female farmers to become change- makers in agriculture.”

¹ISAS: The Climate Emergency Situation in Maharashtra: A Big Challenge for Uddhav Thackeray

This year, within the context of the world’s most important packaging event, interpack, the spotlight was focused on Women in Packaging, a panel discussion featuring five industry female leaders. An audience of more than 150 people attended the panel on 8 May, demonstrating that this is a hot topic that will continue to be discussed even after the Düsseldorf trade fair has concluded.

Valentina Aureli, CEO of the Aetna Group together with her brother Enrico, was among the protagonists of the panel. She shared her view on women’s position in the world of packaging and spoke about her career path. In addition to her, other prominent professionals shared their stories at the event: Afsaneh Nabifar, Head of Market Development for Biopolymers at BASF; Australian Nadia Taylor, co-founder and director of TNA Solutions; Marjo Halonen, Vice President of Communications at Metsä Board Corporation in Finland; and Gabi Bauer, Head of Marketing and Communications at Uhlmann Pac-Systeme.

For the first time at interpack, this year’s format was organised with the support of the World Packaging Organization, WPO. Furthermore, it was created to inspire and disseminate the testimonies of women who have made their mark on the packaging industry. In fact, until recently, this sector was dominated mainly by men. However, it is now also being positively valued by many young women who wish to pursue careers in this area.

Valentina Aureli explained to the audience that she gained her experience in international high finance at Rothschild Banking. However, over the past two decades, she and her brother have guided Aetna Group towards steady global growth with the main brands Robopac and OCME. “It is important to be the same person both at home and at work, and to always put yourself out there”, commented the CEO, “but keeping in mind three fundamental coordinates, which have helped me overcome challenges in both my personal and professional lives. Be real, be whole and be innovative”. She stated emphatically: “Essentially, this means being oneself regardless of external influences, being whole by following one’s principles, and finally being innovative by employing not only rational, but emotional and social intelligence as well. All this is very valuable in working environments”.

At Aetna Group, talent development is the basis of a rich and stimulating work system, which knows no cultural or gender differences.

Valentina Aureli commented on the subject, stating: “I am fortunate to be able to say that our Group is filled with talented individuals, many of whom are women. We have several female managers on the front line in China, Mexico, Italy and America, even in sectors and departments in which women have traditionally been under-represented and where specific product knowledge is required. I am referring to engineering, sales engineering, after-sales, sales and spare parts. It is also noteworthy that there are women managers in more traditional roles, such as marketing, human resources, and administration. My choices to place women in certain key roles reflect their ability to coordinate and facilitate processes”.

This was a successful event and a source of inspiration for many young women, as well as a very sensitive topic within the Group. The latter had already proposed and organised it on several occasions through the Robopac USA subsidiary under the same title: the first time in October 2022 at Pack-Expo in Chicago, and then twice more this year in Duluth, home of the American HQ.

The acquisition of HSO Health Care GmbH cements Chr. Hansen’s long-term commitment to its probiotics business, and the fast-growing category for women’s health, where scientifically proven probiotic solutions are becoming increasingly popular among consumers.

Chr. Hansen Holding A/S and HSO Health Care GmbH entered into an agreement, under which Chr. Hansen will acquire HSO Health Care. The acquisition of the Austria-based B2B company specializing in probiotics for women’s health will strengthen and expand Chr. Hansen’s global microbial platform. This acquisition is aligned with the strategy of pursuing bolt-on acquisitions that fit into the microbial platform, as outlined in the Nature’s no. 1 strategy. The transaction will be finalized later this week.

A scientific approach to common urogenital discomforts

Urogenital discomfort is a concern for women all over the world who are increasingly looking for intimate care products based on natural ingredients. This has driven the category for women’s health to be among the fastest-growing in the probiotics market.

Highlights

• Women’s health is one of the fastest growing probiotic segments, with an estimated market CAGR of more than 15 % since 2015, which HSO has outperformed substantially
• Good fit to Chr. Hansen with easy integration and strong potential synergies
• Strengthens and expands Chr. Hansen’s microbial platform by adding HSO’s branded portfolio Astarte^™, a global award-winning line of patented probiotic products for women’s health
• Clinically documented and using four specific strains, Astarte™ has a powerful selling proposition and a strong brand position and is sold in multiple channels
• Strengthens our women’s health offering by combining Astarte^™ with Chr. Hansen’s UREX^™ products, creating a portfolio that can be leveraged globally and expanded into new adjacencies within women’s health
• Expected 2020 revenues of approximately EUR 15 million, with an EBITDA margin above 40 %. Strong double-digit organic growth expected from 2020-2025
• Chr. Hansen’s outlook for 2019/20 is unchanged

Financial implications and outlook

The acquisition is fully aligned with Chr. Hansen’s capital allocation principles, and does not impact the ability pay out an ordinary dividend of 40 – 60 % of net profit. The purchase price will be financed from existing available cash and bank facilities, and the acquisition has no impact on the 2019/20 outlook. Under the terms of the agreement the details of the transaction will not be disclosed.