Karen S. Carter: Packaging Personal and Professional Success
Global Business Director, Packaging and Specialty Plastics, The Dow Chemical Company
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/pub/karen-carter/4/474/973
Twitter: @KarenS_Carter
Bio:
Karen S. Carter, Global Strategic Marketing Director, at Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business is the highest-ranking woman reporting to the business president and serves on the global leadership team for this $12 billion business. Carter is the global value chain, sustainability, and new business development executive who defines and implements the global strategy for downstream engagements within the packaging value chain. A 20 year employee at The Dow Chemical Company, she has worked in a variety of positions including but not limited to General Manager for Dow’s Construction Business in Asia Pacific & India – where she was a member of the Dow Kakoh Kabushiki Kaisha board of directors (joint venture between Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited and The Dow Chemical Company). Carter also served as Product Director for North American Polyethylene, Product Director for North American Engineering Plastics and Global Marketing Manager for Information Technology Equipment & Consumer Electronics. She was instrumental in developing Dow’s Global Diversity Expertise Center and has been published in the Journal of the American Health Information Management Association.
Innovating in field of work:
Carter is a driving force in the development of new business models and solutions in the male dominated chemical industry. By creating rules of engagement for the team to follow, she and her team are fostering collaboration with brand owners, retailers, design firms, original equipment manufacturers and universities to accelerate business growth. Carter is continually pushing for greater gender and racial diversity in the workplace.
Impact:
• Carter is an exceptional change agent driving new market engagement strategies targeted on growth and value creation in the packaging business at Dow. She has built a global team of Dow experts to develop new business opportunities for packaging innovation.
• Carter emphasizes personal and professional success and helps her employees see a balance between the two. She integrates personal values in her work while successfully meeting company objectives. She has helped pave the way for mothers who desired part-time positions to spend more time with their children and families.
Role Model:
Carter is a mentor and role model to many female and minority employees. She encourages women and minorities to strive for more and to continually grow personally and professionally. She is known for creating growth opportunities for her employees while discovering how to motivate and inspire each individual in the company. Carter is active in multiple Dow employee networks including her membership on the Leadership Council for the Dow African-American Network, and is on the board of directors for Midland, Michigan based Adoption Option, Inc.
Reinvention / Risk / Momentum:
As an African-American woman, Carter leads by example and is passionate about using reflection to create positive growth in workplace culture and practice. She participates in Leadership Effectiveness Surveys to gain insight on her own performance and to discover ways she can improve and help others improve through her leadership. Carter has committed to a “weekend disconnect” in which she reserves weekend, vacation, and holiday emails for urgencies only so that her co-workers don’t feel pressured to work during their time-off . She has also made a commitment to promoting actionable employee development and employee appreciation.
“Karen is known for breaking down barriers and pushing the envelope…which ultimately paves the way for a more dynamic and improved operating environment at Dow.” Diego Donoso, Business President