The Asia-Pacific packaging market is growing at 6.8% CAGR — more than twice the rate of EMEA — driven by expanding middle-class consumer markets in Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and the Philippines. For packaging businesses with global ambitions, APAC represents the single largest growth opportunity of the next decade. But the talent dynamics are fundamentally different from any other region.
Key Market Dynamics
Three forces are simultaneously reshaping the APAC packaging talent market:
- Rapid capacity expansion — greenfield flexible packaging and corrugated plants are being commissioned at an unprecedented rate, creating acute demand for experienced operational leadership
- Localisation pressure — global businesses are increasingly required to demonstrate local leadership depth, reducing the viability of long-term expatriate-heavy management structures
- Salary inflation — senior packaging professionals in Singapore and Malaysia saw 18–21% salary increases in 2023 alone, compressing the traditional East-West compensation gap
What This Means for Talent Strategy
Businesses entering or expanding in APAC face a genuine dilemma: the local talent pool with international packaging credentials and leadership experience at the P&L level remains limited, particularly in markets like Vietnam and Indonesia where the industry is younger.
Our recommendation is a structured “bridge” model: place international talent (typically Singapore or Malaysia-based) at Group Director level to establish operating standards and develop local talent pipelines over a 24–36 month horizon, with explicit succession planning built into the appointment from day one.