Liz Cuneo: Thank you, Linda. I’m here with Linda Roman from Kraft Heinz, for this Women in packaging and processing short video series, and Linda, I was just gonna ask you a quick question. How did you get into packaging? Please share a little bit about your background and how you got to be where you are today.
Linda Roman: Great, thank you for meeting with me. So I would say that my passion for innovation and problem solving really was sparked when I was getting my engineering degree, and it led me to packaging because it’s just thrilling to be able to connect with consumers and understand what their needs are, and then translate that into packaging designs and materials that not only meet the consumer needs, but also protect products throughout their entire shelf life, meeting those functional expectations as well. And it’s important to be able to be encouraged as a packaging developer to think creatively and push the boundaries of what’s possible years of experience in food and beverage R&D.
I’ve spent most of my career in packaging with a focus on innovation and technology, and over time that mix of technical depth and executional rigor really shaped my path into my current role as packaging director at Kraft Heinz and becoming a North America R&D fellow and with experience and expertise being valued, it provided that opportunity to find my own path, my individual growth and professional development.
So it was unique to others that may have had the same background as me, but being able to seek my passion was really important to me. And who knew that when I was growing up and my mother was recycling was just part of everything we did. She was so passionate about it. And when I was younger, I used to recycle old Christmas cards to make gift tags and sell those in the neighborhood. So it could be my first job and it could be foreshadowing to the work that I’m doing today.
Cuneo: Yeah, I love that that early passion for recycling and sustainability. So that’s really cool. Thank you.
Roman: Thank you.