International Paper has been honored with the Women MAKE 2024 Awards. These annual national awards recognize women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers, spanning all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the production line to senior management.
One of the honorees, Sarah, expressed her gratitude at being selected for the Women MAKE award, “That the organization took the time, which is scarce, to consider me for this remarkable award was a treasure, but then to have an outside group review my nomination along with impressive leaders and recognize my work, I am honored.”
The Women MAKE Awards are part of MI’s Women MAKE America initiative, the latter being the leading national program to close the gender gap in manufacturing. Although women represent approximately half of the U.S. workforce, their presence in the manufacturing workforce is lower, accounting for less than one-third. Women MAKE America aims to empower and inspire women in the industry to build the manufacturing workforce of the 21st century.
Carolyn Lee, president and CEO of MI, underscored the importance of engaging women in manufacturing, “With more than 600,000 jobs open in manufacturing today and the continued need to fill millions more jobs by the end of the decade, it is critical that manufacturers engage the largest underrepresented talent pool: women.”
In line with its Vision 2030 goals, International Paper aims to achieve an overall representation of 30% women in all positions and 50% women in salaried positions. In addition, its Women’s Employee Networking Circle (ENC) is actively engaged in contributing to the growth and development of women in International Paper’s workforce by providing career guidance, professional development and fostering connections.
