We chatted with a Senior Field HR Generalist for Sonoco Europe, Lauren Benford, about her unconventional career path in packaging. Lauren shared her Sonoco experience and how she expanded her knowledge and skillset by answering these 10 questions:

What did you do before joining Sonoco?

I always wanted to be a police officer, so I attended college from 2009 to 2011 to earn a Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) national diploma in public services. However, the government made cuts during that period and decreased their recruitment efforts in the sector. I had to rethink my career path.

Alongside being at college, I worked at a fast-food chain as a sandwich artist and stayed on once my college course was completed. I enjoyed working there, but I did not feel that this position was my long-term career. I began my search for something new.

How did you hear about your starting role and when did you start at Sonoco?

My online search revealed a vacancy for a business administration apprenticeship at Sonoco Chesterfield in the UK. I applied for this internship. Sonoco VP of Finance for Global Rigid Paper Containers, Tim Nash, and Associate Director of Human Resources in Europe, Stacy Williams, interviewed me, and I started with Sonoco in April 2012. I have worked here for over 11 years now.

What was your first Sonoco role?

While full-time at the Chesterfield site, I also worked toward my National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) Level 2 apprenticeship on the job. My main duties were dealing with incoming and outgoing mail, managing the time and attendance system and indirectly ordering items, such as stationery, PPE and maintenance supplies.

What learning opportunities did Sonoco offer you when you first joined? 

Throughout my career, Sonoco has given me so many opportunities for which I will always be very grateful. After completing my NVQ Level 2 in business administration, I went on to complete Level 3. By this time, I started to pick up some human resources tasks, since my manager Stacy worked in human resources. During this time, I began to take a real interest in this function. I took on payroll for both the Chesterfield and the former Manchester manufacturing site (called Stokes Street) and achieved my payroll technician certificate (CIPP) in 2015. I then went on to study human resources practice, gaining certifications in Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Level 3 in 2017, CIPD Level 5 in 2018 and recently CIPD Level 7 in 2023.

I was promoted to HR Assistant in April 2017, then to HR Officer in July 2018 and most recently to Senior Field HR Generalist in November 2022. During this time, the Manchester production site was closed. From 2018, I started to fully support the Bradford and Chesterfield sites.

What career-advancing qualifications have you gained since joining Sonoco?

Sonoco provided other learning opportunities throughout my career. Beyond what I previously mentioned, I became a mental health first aider, assisted with different business functions and gained real insight into how the business operates. During my qualification courses, I fortunately gained great networking opportunities to share ideas and experiences with other HR professionals. My professional development has increased my confidence and knowledge, enabling me to do my role effectively and to the best of my ability. 

What experience has been your favourite at Sonoco so far?

I have really enjoyed the opportunities to visit different Sonoco sites, meeting new people and experiencing differing cultures. I have visited several sites across the UK and in Hockenheim, Germany. These visits were a great experience to see how others work and share knowledge.

What motivates you in your current role?

My current role is Senior Field HR Generalist. When Sonoco goes through changes, I embrace it and work to make it work for our employees. My passion for employee engagement motivates me to get things right for our employees.

How did your most recent qualification progress your career?

I recently qualified for CIPD Level 7 in strategic people management. After finishing my CIPD Level 5, I was very concerned about being able to commit the time needed to complete my Level 7 qualification, but the time came to bite the bullet and go for it. I finished this two-year academic qualification while working full-time, filling every Thursday evening and many weekends in the process. I am really proud of achieving this qualification that is equivalent to a master’s degree.

After taking a short breather, I can now focus on new areas of learning, such as assisting the Chesterfield site as we begin our Sonoco Performance System (SPS) journey. This SPS process could offer career progression for me to be a people manager in the future.

What advice would you offer those considering an alternative path into a packaging career?

It is never too late to make a career change, so do what you want to do. As you know, I didn’t continue to university after completing my college course when I was younger. At times I wondered if I may regret that decision. Looking back, I would not change anything about my career. I have gained so much experience throughout my time with Sonoco, and I still have a lot to learn. Through hard work, my full-time role and the full support of Sonoco, I have achieved degree-level qualifications.

What is something fun you enjoy outside of work?

If you need a small wall built or a DIY job completed, I’m the person to call as I did bricklaying, joinery, painting and decorating as one of my GSCEs. When I am not walking my blue whippet, Opie, I am probably spending time with my fiancé Joe, who proposed to me during a holiday in Bruges last year. I’m currently looking forward to celebrating my completion of CIPD Level 7 at graduation.

Looking to the future, I anticipate continuing my education and reinforcing my learning in the manufacturing industry at this global packaging company.

We caught up with Joe Curtis, Process & Continuous Improvement Engineer at Sonoco Consumer Products Europe, to hear how he has coped with the challenges of moving to a new house and starting a new role during a pandemic.
 
Joe joined us at our Chesterfield office in August 2020. He moved from Hull after graduating with BEng Chemical Engineering with first class honours (congrats Joe!).

How did you come to this job during the pandemic, and how are you finding it?

I, like many people during the pandemic, was unemployed and frustrated. At the beginning of August 2020, I received an interview invitation for a temporary 3-month contract as a graduate Process Engineer, I was ecstatic. I signed a house contract the day after accepting the role and moved to Chesterfield on Saturday and started my new position on Monday. ⁠

I have worked a few different jobs during my life and starting somewhere new is never easy; but nothing was quite as strange as starting somewhere that must operate during a pandemic. It was odd having to check how many people were in a room before entering and wearing a mask everywhere. Furthermore, the hand washing/sanitising routines were not something I was used to pre-pandemic. With all this said though I am very glad that Sonoco has taken COVID-19 restrictions so seriously and has been actively working to keep everyone safe.

What challenges have you come across during the pandemic, and how did you adapt to them?

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, especially with the quick move, but the Chesterfield team immediately made me feel welcome, even with the tough pandemic related restrictions. Having worked in a few different manufacturing environments I was pleasantly surprised at strong safety culture on the site.

What surprised you within the first 30 days about your new role, and working for Sonoco?

From the very first day I was given the chance to start on real projects to improve the plant, and immediately started learning, whilst shadowing experienced engineers working on the machinery around the plant. Meanwhile, in the office the European Director of Operations was assisting me in my projects and offered valuable insights into continuous improvement. My role is so incredibly varied, which is one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.

What learning opportunities have you had since you joined Sonoco?

Possibly the largest learning opportunity came just after being offered a full-time permanent role in November. I was placed on a lean six sigma training course provided via Sonoco through e-learning and given a major project on one of the main production lines on site. I am just about to start the E-Learning lectures for this and I’m looking forward to earning my qualification!

What aspects of your role are exciting to you?

Since starting here, I have created new standards for maintenance, machine setting and processes, in addition to chairing the daily direction setting meeting to discuss important plant tasks. There has not been a single day that hasn’t been challenging or rewarding and I have thoroughly enjoyed putting my engineering degree to good use. I particularly enjoy designing and creating new methods to set machines so that they work consistently and reliably. The excitement of being the first person to make an easy and effective way of doing something which people find useful is something that really motivates me.

What do you see as the future for your role?

There are also lots of exciting future projects to get involved with, for example, I am currently involved in early discussions of using 3D-printing technology to assist with prototyping engineering parts.

I look forward to developing further at Sonoco and can’t wait to see where this takes me or what I will end up working on as products change and our factory expands to more production lines.