Realising the potential of our people
As a business, we are committed to realising the potential of every person who works at DS Smith.
Our finalists for the Realising the Potential of our People award have made a significant impact on both their own development as well as those around them.
By living our values and empowering others, our finalists have created a safe and inclusive working environment where skills, talent and ideas are nurtured, and everyone can thrive.
Catherine Duke
Site HR Business Partner
Wellingborough, UK, Packaging North
Having successfully completed a CIPD qualification (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), Catherine has provided fantastic support to sites across the UK, driving significant change, enhancing engagement and improving standards across the board.
Her achievements have been recognised by the CIPD as she is one of just five people shortlisted for a prestigious CIPD award for ‘Outstanding HR or L&D Apprentice’ - a true reflection of her dedication and hard work which has seen remarkable results at her sites.
Jo Pike
General Manager
Birmingham, UK, Packaging North
Since becoming the General Manager of our Birmingham site in the UK, Jo has improved the site’s engagement results by 37% in less than 18 months.
Now one of the most engaged sites in North Europe, Jo has been recognised for her proactive and planned approach to enhancing her site’s performance, improving the working environment and lifting team morale. This phenomenal achievement is testament to her outstanding leadership skills and people-focused mindset.
Julien Cléry
Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and e-Commerce
Puteaux, France, Packaging South
In response to the increasing requests and growing expectations of our customers, Julien has developed a regular training series called CAP CSR which raises awareness about the key topic of corporate social responsibility.
Centred around Sustainable Development, each 30-minute session highlights DS Smith’s activities in this space – discussing current topics and issues, sharing useful resources, and providing our SMI teams with the knowledge and expertise needed to really make a difference to our customers.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a key priority for our business. Through investing his time in others and fostering a culture of development, Julien has created a growing network of CSR experts, helping to serve our customers and achieve our sustainability goals.
Marcin Jastrzębski
Conversion Manager
Oława, Poland, Packaging East
Marcin was responsible for training and mentoring the production leaders at our Bełchatów site in Poland. From July 2023 to February 2024, Marcin dedicated his time to ensure the site was operating at the highest standard, providing support and guidance across all aspects of their operations.
Through his extensive knowledge and experience, and his calm and understanding nature, Marcin has shown true leadership. His dedication and willingness to share has led to phenomenal improvements that will have a lasting impact on the site.
In just eight months, he trained four production leaders and multiple operators, conducted recruitment interviews, improved the site’s productivity, significantly reduced waste, enhanced health and safety standards, successfully launched the DS Smith Way programme, and developed a high performing and well organised team – all whilst still running our factory is Oława.
Marcin spent one week a month for eight months at the site, providing support to the whole team. He spent the rest of his time training colleagues on his site in Oława, willingly offering advice and guidance, and empowering our colleagues in Bełchatów to achieve incredible results.
