To celebrate International Women’s Month, we’re sharing of the stories of female employees who do amazing work at our Paper Excellence mills. Our interview with Daria Anico:
Daria Anico has been a Continuous Excellence Coordinator at our Howe Sound mill for almost two years. She has her MBA and is a Project Management professional.
How did you come to work at Paper Excellence?
“I have been with Paper Excellence for a year and a half now. I live on the Sunshine Coast where the mill is located. Many people I knew worked there and they referred me to my current position. Since I didn’t have any prior experience in this industry, I worked hard to learn every day. There is now a huge difference in my knowledge about paper and pulp than when I first joined.”
What is your workday like?
“My job is the most interesting job ever. As the Continuous Excellence Coordinator, my work revolves around program and project coordination, reporting, and organizing events, most of which involve a lot of interaction with people. It is a fun combination of project management with business reporting analysis.”
What excites you about your future in this industry?
“I have always been fascinated with the pulp and paper industry. I see these huge machines here make magic, so it makes me more intrigued in the production process. I’ve always been an end user, so I wanted to be a part of the team that makes the product.”
What do you love about your job?
“There are too many things I love about my job. I’m a person who loves to interact with others, and I also really like to see results being produced. The projects that I work on are finished within one year, therefore the results can be easily tracked. Aside from the nature of my job, I am grateful to be working in a supportive environment. Everyone around me was willing to help and that was the reason why I was able to pick up my role so quickly. That support remains today, and we continue to help one another. To pay this favor forward, I am more than pleased to help others in need.”
What challenges do you face in your work because you’re a woman?
“There isn’t anything I can think of. There are a lot of female employees at the mill and in all different positions and they are all amazing at their jobs.”
What would you tell girls who are thinking about a career similar to yours?
“I would advise them to learn about the business. The more data they can gather about the industry, the more it will help in their career. Adapt to the culture of continuous learning to expand their amount of knowledge. Striving for knowledge is what makes anyone successful.”