Athena Executive Search

⏱️ The 7-Second Rule: Packaging Makes the First Impression Happy Friday from Athena Executive Search! 🎉 Did you know the average consumer decides whether to pick up a product in just seven seconds? In those seven seconds, packaging is everything — the design, the messaging, the materials, the print quality. It’s where brands win attention, earn trust, and stand out on a crowded shelf. And behind every impactful package is a team of talented professionals bringing strategy, creativity, engineering, and precision together. At Athena Executive Search, we specialise in finding the people who make these seven seconds count, supporting companies across: 📦 Packaging Innovation & Design 🖨️ Print & Production 🌱 Sustainable Materials & Solutions 🏭 Operations, Sales & Leadership As the packaging and print industry continues to evolve, we’re proud to connect organisations with the experts who turn those first seven seconds into long-term brand loyalty. Wishing everyone a strong end to the week — and a weekend full of great first impressions! Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com #SevenSecondRule #Packaging #PrintIndustry #ExecutiveSearch #Recruitment #PackagingDesign #BrandImpact #AthenaExecutiveSearch #FridayFeeling

The Great Substrate Shift is here — and it’s reshaping the future of print & packaging. Sustainability pressures, regulatory demands, and cost volatility are accelerating the move away from traditional materials. But while technology and substrates evolve fast, many organisations are discovering a critical gap: their talent isn’t evolving at the same pace. In our latest carousel, we break down: 🔹 The Challenge — Why the shift to recycled, lightweight, and alternative materials is disrupting operations. 🔹 The Pain Point — How lack of substrate expertise leads to delays, inefficiencies, and waste. 🔹 The Leadership Gap — Why this moment requires leaders with material science awareness, innovation experience, and cross-functional agility. 🔹 What to Do Differently — How to hire for future capability, not historical skill sets. The substrate landscape is changing rapidly. The question is: Is your leadership team ready for what’s next? At Athena Executive Search, we help print & packaging organisations secure future-ready leaders who can navigate material innovation, drive sustainable transformation, and build operational resilience. 👉 View the full carousel to explore the insights. 👉 Contact us if you're ready to strengthen your leadership pipeline for the new material reality. Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com

From Labour Shortages to Leadership Gaps: Navigating the Workforce Crisis in Print & Packaging The print and packaging sector is experiencing a pivotal shift. While automation, sustainability, and evolving customer demands continue to reshape the market, organisations now face a deeper strategic challenge: a shrinking talent pipeline and widening leadership gaps. Skilled labour shortages are disrupting production capacity, while the absence of strong succession planning and future-ready leaders is creating vulnerabilities at the senior level. In an industry undergoing transformation, the demand for strategic, adaptive, and commercially minded leaders has never been greater. Forward-thinking companies are responding by modernising talent strategies, investing in skills development, prioritising retention, and strengthening leadership pipelines. Yet securing the right leaders in today’s competitive landscape requires a specialist approach. At Athena Executive Search, we partner with print and packaging organisations to identify and appoint the leaders who will drive transformation, operational excellence, and long-term growth. If your organisation is navigating workforce or leadership challenges, now is the time to take action. 👉 Read our latest insights on how companies can build resilient, future-ready teams and overcome the industry’s workforce crisis. 📩 Contact Athena Executive Search to discuss how we can support your leadership strategy. Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com

The print industry is at a pivotal moment. While technology, sustainability, and customer expectations accelerate, too many businesses are standing still — assuming the future will look like the past. It won’t. Our latest carousel, “The Print Business of 2030: What You Need to Start Doing Today,” outlines the critical shifts forward-thinking print leaders must act on now: 🔹 Automation to streamline workflows and boost productivity 🔹 Sustainable inks and materials to meet rising environmental expectations 🔹 A truly customer-first strategy that integrates both digital and print experiences The companies that win in 2030 won’t be the ones with the biggest equipment budgets — they’ll be the ones with the strongest leadership vision and the agility to evolve. At Athena Executive Search, we partner with print businesses that refuse to be complacent. We help them build the leadership talent needed to innovate, transform, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market. If you’re ready to build a team that shapes the future — not reacts to it — let’s talk. 📩 Connect with us to discuss your senior talent needs and prepare your organisation for 2030 and beyond. Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com

🌍 Industry Fact Friday Did you know that the global print and paper sector accounts for roughly 1% of total CO₂ emissions worldwide? According to WorldAtlas, “the paper and print industry accounts for about 1% of the carbon dioxide produced globally.” For Athena Executive Search, serving leadership in packaging and print companies, that stat isn’t just a fun fact — it’s a conversation starter. 🔹 “Sustainability” is no longer a side project — it’s a strategic leadership competency. 🔹 Executive roles in this sector increasingly demand fluency in ESG metrics — from carbon footprint reduction to renewable sourcing. 🔹 When hiring senior talent, it’s vital to recognise that packaging and print are part of the climate equation — and therefore, core to business strategy. 💡 Tip for your network: Ask leaders, “How are you aligning your print and packaging operations with your decarbonisation roadmap?” It’s a simple question that sparks meaningful dialogue and demonstrates forward-thinking leadership. ✨ Call to Action: At Athena Executive Search, we connect packaging and print leaders who are driving sustainability transformation. If your organisation is ready to build its future leadership team — or if you’re an executive seeking a role where sustainability matters — let’s start the conversation. 👉 Message us directly Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com or visit athena-executive.com to learn more.

📦 Smart Packaging 2.0: Moving Beyond QR Codes Smart packaging is evolving fast — and it’s reshaping how brands connect with consumers and manage their supply chains. What started with simple QR codes has now transformed into intelligent, connected systems that offer real-time data, transparency, and engagement. 🔍 Smart Packaging 2.0 is about more than scanning a label. It’s about integrating IoT, AI, and sustainability to deliver: ✅ Deeper consumer insight and personalization ✅ End-to-end supply chain visibility ✅ Greater trust, traceability, and brand value For packaging companies, this isn’t just innovation — it’s a leadership opportunity. The future belongs to organizations that can bridge technology, data, and design to create packaging that truly thinks. At Athena Executive Search, we partner with packaging and technology innovators to help them find the leaders shaping this next era of connected packaging. 📩 Are you ready to lead in Smart Packaging 2.0? Let’s connect and build the leadership teams driving the future of intelligent, sustainable packaging. 🌐 www.athena-executive.com Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com #SmartPackaging #SupplyChainVisibility #PackagingInnovation #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #ConsumerEngagement #AthenaExecutiveSearch #Leadership #FutureOfPackaging

♻️ The Circular Economy: How Packaging Printers Can Profit from Change Across the packaging industry, regulatory pressure on recyclability is no longer just a compliance issue — it’s a catalyst for transformation. Printers who adapt fastest aren’t just ticking sustainability boxes. They’re becoming strategic partners to brands, co-creating closed-loop packaging solutions that reduce waste, meet new standards, and unlock long-term commercial value. In our latest carousel, we explore: ✅ The pain point driving change — tightening global regulations. ✅ The fix — collaboration with brands to close the loop. ✅ The payoff — differentiation, loyalty, and profit through circularity. Sustainability isn’t just the future — it’s a business model. At Athena Executive Search, we connect forward-thinking packaging leaders and innovators ready to drive that change. 👉 Swipe through the carousel to see how circular strategies can create competitive advantage for printers and packaging specialists. 💬 Are you building or hiring for a packaging team ready to lead in the circular economy? Let’s talk about how we can help you find the talent and leadership to make it happen. 📩 Connect with us today or visit www.athena-executive.com to start the conversation. Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #PackagingInnovation #PrintingIndustry #AthenaExecutiveSearch #Leadership #FutureOfWork #ExecutiveSearch #TalentStrategy

🌿 The Bio-Based Balancing Act: Performance vs. Sustainability in Materials Sourcing As the global demand for sustainability accelerates, organizations are rethinking how they source, design, and innovate. The move toward bio-based materials represents an exciting step forward — but it also raises a critical question: how do we balance environmental responsibility with performance excellence? In our latest insight, we explore how visionary leadership and strategic thinking are key to achieving both — turning sustainability from a challenge into a competitive advantage. At Athena Executive Search, we partner with businesses to identify and place leaders who can drive innovation, embed ESG values, and deliver sustainable growth. 👉 Read the full article and discover how leadership is shaping the future of sustainable materials. 📩 Connect with us at enquiries@athena-executive.com to find the talent that can transform your organization. #Sustainability #Leadership #ExecutiveSearch #Innovation #SustainableBusiness #BioBasedMaterials #AthenaExecutiveSearch #ESG #FutureOfWork

🌿 The Sustainability Challenge: How Printing Firms Can Avoid Being Left Out of the Packaging Boom 🌿 The packaging industry is thriving — driven by innovation, e-commerce, and changing consumer expectations. But as demand grows, so does the pressure to prove your sustainability credentials. Brands are increasingly choosing suppliers who share their environmental values, meaning printing firms that fail to adapt risk being left behind. In our latest carousel, we explore: ✅ Why sustainability is now a key differentiator in packaging and print ✅ How energy-curable inks, recyclable boards, and lifecycle audits can give firms a competitive edge ✅ Simple steps printing companies can take today to stay relevant in a greener future At Athena Executive Search, we work with forward-thinking packaging and print companies that are driving innovation — sustainably. Take a look at our insights below 👇 and let us know: 💬 How is your business embracing the sustainability shift? Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com #Sustainability #Packaging #PrintIndustry #Innovation #AthenaExecutiveSearch #Leadership #GreenPrinting #EcoPackaging

🎉 Fun Fact Friday! 🎨📦 Did you know that branded packaging, as we know it, began to take shape in the 1800s? One early pioneer was John Cadbury, who started selling cocoa and drinking chocolate in Birmingham, England, in 1824. By the 1840s, Cadbury introduced beautifully decorated boxes, helping transform packaging from something purely functional into a powerful storytelling and marketing tool. 🍫 While Cadbury wasn’t the first to use branded packaging, the company became one of the earliest to recognize how design could connect emotionally with consumers — a principle that remains at the heart of packaging innovation today. At Athena Executive Search, we’re proud to partner with the leaders and innovators continuing to shape the future of packaging and print — where creativity, sustainability, and strategy all come together. ✨ 📚 Source: Cadbury World – History of Cadbury What’s your favourite example of iconic or game-changing packaging design? Drop it in the comments! 👇 Email: enquiries@athena-executive.com #FunFactFriday #PackagingDesign #BrandStorytelling #AthenaExecutiveSearch #PackagingInnovation #PrintIndustry