Career paths are built through people — creating more paths for women in manufacturing requires teaching, sponsoring, supporting, and making room for them to grow.
At first glance, manufacturing is often about production schedules, equipment, efficiencies, and output. But look a little closer and a different story emerges. It’s one built on mentorship, teamwork, and support.
For Andrea Backlund, Carrie Leung, and Chelsea Curbishley, their careers in manufacturing haven't been defined by the machines they operate, the projects they've led, or the processes they've improved. Instead, their stories point to something far more impactful: the people. The mentors who guided them, the teams who supported them, and the responsibility they now feel to help other women grow.
These women in leadership roles have decades of combined experience and a wide range of leadership roles within our Bacon Centre of Excellence at the Lagimodiere plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The site is also home to the Ham Complex, which produces more than 20 million kilograms of finished protein each year and supplies fresh cuts of ham to Prepared Meats plants across the Maple Leaf Foods network.
At the end of the day, manufacturing is about making products efficiently, safely, and responsibly. The people within manufacturing are the ones who make all of that possible.
The People Who Teach Us
Andrea, Material Supply and Planning Manager, has a finance and accounting background and discovered an entirely new career path in manufacturing. Carrie, Pre-Cooked Bacon Production Manager, studied Food Sciences and began her career in Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) before moving into operations, and eventually production leadership. Chelsea, Production – Ham Processing Manager, studied Microbiology and started her career in Quality Assurance (QA), later making the jump into production management.
Despite their different journeys, they all look back fondly at the people who took the time to invest in their potential.
For Chelsea, some of the greatest lessons came from experienced colleagues on the plant floor. “I've been lucky enough to work alongside a lot of long-term team members that have been in the industry for 30 to 40 years and have so much knowledge and experience that I’ve been able to learn from,” she explains.
Andrea credits a network of mentors, inside and outside of Maple Leaf Foods, for helping her understand the complexities of manufacturing and build her confidence throughout her career. “These are people that have dedicated time to teach me things I didn't necessarily learn in school,” says Andrea. “Things like business acumen that come along with manufacturing or the unique requirements of different processes. The career development paths and support I get here at Maple Leaf Foods is like nothing I’ve ever seen at other companies.”
For Carrie, encouragement from leaders helped her recognize potential she couldn't always see herself. “It took certain leaders in my career to say, ‘You're doing a good job and the sky's the limit for you.’ And when I heard that, I was in disbelief. I’ve since worked very hard on my self-confidence and ability to accept that I am good enough and that I can do those things. It took special people on my career journey to really help me understand that,” says Carrie.
These reflections highlight a common reality in manufacturing and beyond: growth often happens because someone takes the time to guide, encourage, or simply believe in another person’s abilities.
The People Who Work Beside Us
Some of the challenges facing manufacturing today, from customer demand and supply chain complexity to operational improvements and continuous learning, are too big for any one person to solve.
Success happens when people trust one another, communicate openly, and work toward a shared goal. That’s why Carrie takes pride in the culture her team has built together. It’s one rooted in partnership, rather than competition.
“What I love most about my team is the camaraderie. It’s common to have this rivalry between night shift and day shift. But here in Pre-Cooked Bacon, we’re built on the importance of being a team that works together and helps each other out,” says Carrie. “If there are things that the other team missed, that's okay. We can call that out, but we're not calling it out personally. We’re addressing it together.”
Andrea echoes this sentiment, describing problem-solving in a manufacturing environment as a collective effort that depends on people bringing different perspectives to the table.
“When there’s a problem that needs to be solved, it's a team mentality,” she explains. “The motto here at Lagimodiere is ‘one team’. So, bringing together a group of cross-functional team members to really dig into problems is key to our success. Just because someone is more of a senior team member or is in a management role, it doesn't mean they have answers to everything. Being a good leader in manufacturing means you know how to bring the right people into a room to sit down and figure out the best path forward to solve your challenges.”
The People Who Support Us
Whether managing production, planning, or operations, none of these women see success in a leadership role as an individual achievement.
Chelsea emphasizes the importance of communication for keeping cross-functional teams aligned. As a manager overseeing six supervisors on night shifts, prioritization and collaboration are key — both in her personal and professional lives. She’s also a mother of two young boys, and she and her partner work together to balance family responsibilities and support each other's careers.
“I think it really makes a difference to have that support in order to balance my work life and family life,” notes Chelsea. “Since being on night shift, I’ve had a lot of people ask me, ‘how's your family?’ Well, they're fine. I have support systems, and it's something we navigate together. In fact, for me personally, it was more challenging to be on a day shift role and balance my family life. If you can make it work, then there's always more opportunities in the future.”
The People Who Come Next
Manufacturing can be technical and demanding. It requires problem-solving, decision-making, and continuous improvement.
But the stories of Andrea, Carrie, and Chelsea show that women in manufacturing are given the opportunity to learn, lead, and grow, they open doors for other women to do the same. Their impact extends far beyond the production floor, inspiring others to see what's possible and proving that meaningful progress happens when we lift each other up.
And for these three women, creating an environment where people can learn, grow, and be their best may be the most meaningful work of all.
