Three BASF women in manufacturing honored at the 2024 Women MAKE Awards

FLORHAM PARK, NJ, May 9, 2024 – 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. 

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America and had sales of $20.5 billion in 2023. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com/us.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €68.9 billion in 2023. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.