At the PIDA awards ceremony in Gold Coast today, AIP president Jason Fields announced Azadeh Yousefi as the winner of the AIP President's Scholarship.
The AIP President’s Scholarship has been designed to work in collaboration with the ABA scholarship program to help one additional person undertake either a Certificate in Packaging or a Diploma in Packaging Technology each year.
Jason Fields spoke highly of this year's winner, explaining how, having faced many challenges and barriers in her life, Azadeh Yousefi came to Australia due to her strong passion to become a part of the packaging industry in which she is qualified to work.
"Sadly, the country she came from has a typically male-dominated industry and women do not have the chance to grow in the field they are educated in, even though Azadeh is University qualified, with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Industrial Design," Fields said.
She also loves teaching and used to be a full-time lecturer at the Art University in the Industrial design department in her country, he related.
"Azadeh found it impossible as a female to become a respected packaging technologist in her country, making the difficult decision to leave her country a few years ago for a new start."
Since moving to Australia, she enrolled and graduated from the Master of Food & Packaging Innovation Degree, is now employed by Production Packaging Innovations. She was recognised last year as a finalist in the PIDA Young Packaging Professional Award and has been instrumental in several of the packaging designs that are finalists in today’s PIDA awards.
"Azadeh has started to thrive in her professional career since landing in our country and she represents the future of this industry. I am proud to honour her with the AIP President’s Award for 2022," Fields said.
