The packaging industry’s gender diversity challenge is real, long-standing, and — encouragingly — beginning to shift. Our annual leadership survey shows female representation at Director level in UK packaging manufacturing has improved from 14% in 2019 to 22% in 2024. Progress is visible. The gap is still significant.
Where Progress Is Concentrated
The improvement is not evenly distributed. Commercial functions (Sales Director, Marketing Director, HR Director) have driven the majority of the improvement — female representation in these functions now sits at 34–38% at Director level. Operational functions (Plant Director, Operations Director) have improved more slowly, from 8% to 14% over the same period.
What the Leaders Are Doing Differently
The businesses in our network with the strongest female representation at senior level share several consistent practices:
- Structured returner programmes — actively targeting and structuring roles for individuals returning from career breaks, with adjusted onboarding timelines and explicit mentoring from senior leaders
- Removing geographic mobility assumptions — a disproportionate number of senior packaging roles have historically required relocation willingness as a default assumption. Businesses that interrogate whether relocation is genuinely necessary versus simply conventional are accessing a materially wider candidate pool
- Sponsorship rather than mentorship — the most impactful diversity programmes pair high-potential women with senior leaders who actively advocate for their visibility and advancement, not just provide advice
The Business Case
The business case for gender diversity at leadership level is well-evidenced and we will not rehearse it in full here. The packaging-specific point worth making is this: the businesses in our network with the highest female representation at senior level have, on average, lower voluntary senior turnover (19% below sector average) and higher employee engagement scores. Causality is complex — but the correlation is consistent and striking.