KENYA – Vaishali Malde of Packaging Industries Limited, Kenya, has received the Silver award for Packaging Woman Personality of the Year at the PRIME Awards 2025, held at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai.
The annual event, organized by Packaging MEA Magazine, recognized 50 professionals and companies for their achievements in packaging design, sustainability, technology, and leadership across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.
The 2025 edition of the PRIME Awards marked the most competitive year to date, with over 300 nominations submitted across 17 categories.
Winners were selected by an international panel of jurors, with awards grouped into four main themes: Packaging Excellence, Packaging Sustainability, Organizational Honors, and Leadership Excellence.
Sandra Abeka of ASASE Foundation, Ghana, was named the Gold winner in the Packaging Woman Personality of the Year category. Malde was awarded Silver for her contributions to sustainable flexible packaging and promotion of circular design practices within Kenya’s manufacturing sector.
“This recognition is deeply meaningful — not just as a personal milestone, but as a celebration of the path we’re carving in the packaging industry together,” Malde said in a LinkedIn post.
“From leading innovations in sustainable flexible packaging to advocating for circular design, and navigating motherhood alongside it all — this journey has been anything but solitary. I’m thankful for the colleagues, collaborators, mentors, and even challengers who continue to shape me.”
The awards ceremony followed a three-hour Packaging Innovators Success Stories Summit, where packaging companies and technology providers shared insights into emerging solutions, including automation systems, anti-counterfeiting technologies, digital printing, and alternative packaging materials.
The event brought together over 400 industry professionals from across the MEA region. Attendees included manufacturers, brand owners, material suppliers, and regulatory experts, highlighting the growing convergence between innovation, sustainability goals, and operational performance in packaging.
Malde’s recognition adds to a growing list of Kenyan professionals gaining visibility in regional and international packaging platforms. At Packaging Industries Limited, her leadership spans both operational and strategic dimensions, as the company explores scalable solutions that align with environmental compliance and customer demand.
Packaging Industries Limited is among Kenya’s established players in the flexible packaging segment, serving both local and regional markets. The firm has been part of recent efforts to integrate recyclable materials into mainstream packaging while maintaining regulatory alignment with Kenya’s circular economy roadmap.
Held annually, the PRIME Awards are one of the largest gatherings for packaging professionals in the MEA region. The 2025 edition not only celebrated professional accomplishments but also served as a platform for companies to unveil new projects, exchange business leads, and gain insight into regulatory changes and technology adoption trajectories.
