Three BASF leaders in manufacturing were among 130 women recognized nationally at the Manufacturing Institute’s annual Women MAKE Awards, held April 18 in Washington, D.C. The program identifies top talent in manufacturing and encourages award winners to mentor and support the next generation of female talent to pursue modern manufacturing careers.
Florham Park-based BASF sponsored the annual awards ceremony, which is part of the MI’s Women MAKE America initiative, a national marquee program to close the gender gap in manufacturing. Currently, women account for about half of the U.S. labor force, but represent less than one-third of the manufacturing workforce. Women MAKE America aims to create a 21st-century manufacturing workforce by empowering and inspiring women in the industry.
BASF’s 2024 award winners include:
- Women MAKE Honoree: Paula Clark, manager, services & strategy;
- Women MAKE Honoree: Katie Cook, thermoplastic polyurethane plant manager;
- Women MAKE Emerging Leader: Paula Mensah, senior mechanical maintenance engineer.
“Congratulations to our BASF honorees and emerging leader recognized at the 2024 Women MAKE awards. We are extremely proud of your accomplishments and your dedication to advancing manufacturing and promoting safety in our operations,” Marc Ehrhardt, president, BASF North America, said. “This recognition supports our strategic goal of increasing the number of women in manufacturing, which we see as essential to our company’s success. Thank you for your commitment to operational excellence and for setting the example for all BASF colleagues plus the manufacturing leaders of the future.”
“With more than 600,000 open jobs in manufacturing today and the continued need to fill millions more jobs by the end of the decade, it’s critical for manufacturers to engage the largest underrepresented pool of talent: women,” Manufacturing Institute President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee said.
