PIDA 2023: ABA Scholarship winners revealed

The Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA), in partnership with the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) awarded its annual Scholarship program for Australia and New Zealand at the PIDA 2023 Awards evening.

The Scholarship will enable one eligible candidate the opportunity to undertake a Diploma in Packaging Technology and a second person the opportunity to undertake a Certificate in Packaging.

The Certificate in Packaging Scholarship goes to Jessica Ansell AAIP , Marketing Manager, O F Packaging & Close the Loop Group .

Jessica is excited to understand more about different types of packaging function, printing methods, and applications. She openly admits that there are multiple packaging sectors that she is not familiar with (namely rigid containers and bottles), and she yearns to explore these.

Jessica hopes to explore how the knowledge of packaging fundamentals can help us shift towards more sustainable, yet tangible solutions that work within our modern, global economy. She is fascinated by the ever-changing landscape of packaging technology and films, and the immense potential for recyclable and bio-based, sustainably sourced materials to expand in scalability and help provide a greener future.

Jessica is someone who always strives for continued personal and professional growth and considers herself a ‘perpetual student’ that always has more to learn.

As an industry-recognised qualification, the Certificate in Packaging provides acknowledgement of her capabilities in the packaging arena, while simultaneously setting an important foundation for any further education opportunities that she may wish to take on in the future.

The current economic climate provides a significant barrier to achieving further education and advancing career aspirations for younger adults such as Jessica. The ABA Scholarship is of immense help to allow her to achieve her goals.

The Diploma in Packaging Technology Scholarship goes to Tony Crowther AAIP , R&D packaging development technologist, Lion Co .

For the past decade, Tony has worked at Lion and in 2022, he was provided an opportunity to join the R&D packaging development team where he soon recognised that there was a whole new world of limitless learning in the realm of packaging.

Learning the technical and performance aspects of Packaging, has dovetailed into Tony’s experience of the packaging process and associated equipment. He champions this experience internally at Lion as a conduit between Brand, Customer Insights and Marketing teams, through to the Supply Chain to demonstrate fast change capability and making quality decisions that have a positive impact on all stakeholders.

Being provided the opportunity to enrol in the Diploma in Packaging Technology degree Tony believes that it will broaden and deepen his knowledge and understanding of packaging and solidify his years of experience within the food and beverage industry.

Tony would like the degree to provide him with the foundations, courage, and heart to make tough calls, and to deliver long-term environmental and sustainable business objectives and legislative requirements.

Undertaking the Diploma in Packaging Technology will provide Tony with the professional development and tools required to springboard his career into a leadership and advisory role within the company.