Three BASF leaders in manufacturing were among 130 women recognized nationally at The Manufacturing Institute’s (MI) annual Women MAKE Awards. This national awards program identifies top talent in manufacturing and further encourages award winners to mentor and support the next generation of female talent to pursue modern manufacturing careers.

BASF’s 2024 award winners include:

• Women MAKE Honoree: Paula Clark, Manager, Services & Strategy
• Women MAKE Honoree: Katie Cook, TPU 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,” said Marc Ehrhardt, President, BASF North America. “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.”

The Women MAKE Awards are part of the MI’s Women MAKE America initiative, which is the nation’s marquee program to close the gender gap in manufacturing. 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.

“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,” said Manufacturing Institute President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “The 2024 Women MAKE Awards gala promises to be an inspirational, powerful event, where some of the brightest stars in manufacturing will be recognized for the incredible work they have done—both to grow our industry and to uplift others.”

BASF sponsored the annual awards ceremony, which was held in Washington, D.C. on April 18. For more information about BASF careers and efforts that promote women in manufacturing, visit www.basf.us/women.