Unwrapping the world of food packaging with Karen Aranha, Innovation & Commercialization Project Manager at The Hershey Company | FoodGrads Podcast Ep. 85

Last Updated on March 18, 2024

On today’s episode, we discuss the fields of packaging and project management, lessons learned in managing teams, and the importance of staying curious.

Our guest is Karen Aranha, Innovation & Commercialization Project Manager at The Hershey Company. Karen graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Mumbai in Packaging and Printing Technology. After gaining some experience in the field she obtained a Master’s Degree in Packaging Science from Rochester Institute of Technology. After graduating, she worked for the Packaging Corporation of America as a packaging engineer, developing and executing merchandising displays and corrugated packaging. Her responsibilities included creating and implementing temporary displays and corrugated packaging for Hershey’s. Although she now works in project management for the food industry, she remains passionate about packaging and considers herself a “packaging geek.”

Sponsors

This episode of the podcast is supported by CareersNow! CareersNow! is Food and Beverage Ontario’s multi-year workforce development initiative that is connecting students and job seekers with employers in Ontario’s food and beverage processing industry for exciting career opportunities. Check out CareersNow.ca for more information on exciting jobs, career information, industry mentors and training opportunities for professional development.

Timestamps

[00:00] Introduction
[4:12] Karen’s career journey
[9:46] Speaking about a packaging engineering degree
[15:20] Differences between cardboard and corrugated material
[21:11] Why Karen switched to project management
[26:45] Designing and Coordinating Packaging
[31:00] How Karen manages projects
[36:58] Hershey’s sweet and salty division
[39:31] Learning how to manage people
[45:11] Advice for students and graduates
[50:12] Outro

Links

Coming soon!