From the Plant Floor to the Boardroom: How Technical Women Are Reshaping Food & Beverage Leadership

The spotlight has never shone brighter on women in executive leadership roles within the manufacturing sector. With greater access to STEM education, powerful technical networks, and inspiring mentorships, women with technical degrees are primed and ready to conquer the boardroom like never before. But here’s the twist: women still face a staggering 70% gender gap in corporate strategy-making, with men holding most of the coveted seats. According to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report, women remain significantly underrepresented at the executive level across industries; and in food and beverage manufacturing, the gap is even more pronounced: only 16% of executives are female, compared to 21% across all industries. Of those in leadership, only a fraction bring hands-on food science, quality, or regulatory experience from the plant floor. So, what’s holding technical women back from board positions?

To crack this code, we first need to break down what the Manufacturing C-suite really does, and why gender diversity is more than just a buzzword. Boards don’t just set lofty growth targets; they shape strategies on everything from manufacturing locations and mergers to navigating industry disruptions, managing budgets, hiring top talent, crafting compensation plans, monitoring performance, and steering the company toward legal and ethical excellence. In food and beverage specifically, boards are increasingly called upon to weigh in on food safety culture, FSMA compliance strategy, ESG commitments, and supply chain resilience; areas where women with plant-floor expertise don’t just belong at the table - they’re needed there. Placing women with technical degrees in board positions not only advances gender equality but also allows organizations to thoughtfully, authentically, and compassionately foster sustainable and ethical growth.

Let’s not forget, women are the driving force behind most purchasing decisions in the home. When that influence is paired with a sense of empathy, team building, strong communication skills and rock-solid expertise in manufacturing fundamentals (think warehousing, quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, maintenance, shipping and receiving, production, health & safety, and R&D) the impact is unstoppable. Women bring an unrivaled ability to unlock financial wins, ethical standards, and commercial breakthroughs. For F&B companies navigating increasingly complex regulatory landscapes and growing consumer demand for transparency, a board member who knows what HACCP stands for, and has implemented it, is not a nice-to-have. She’s a competitive advantage.

After 25 years building a career in the manufacturing world, my own wins (and, yes, a few stumbles!) have taught me what it takes to earn your seat at the table. Here’s how you can break through as a woman with technical powers:

Pivoting through the patriarchy takes finesse, but trust me, I never lost my feminine spark. Back in the late ’80s, Ann M. Morrison and her crew shook things up with “Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Can Women Reach the Top of America’s Largest Corporations?” Her research proved that blending grit with warmth, hunting down high-profile assignments, and weaving powerful mentoring and social circles are the keys to breaking into those boardrooms. When I ran sites as a manager, I forged relationships with the executive team (an effort that did not come naturally), swapped out the “maybes” and “sorrys,” held my ground under pressure, and brought a bold, confident style; no apologies, just results.

Be the expert on your job, and your team’s. Identify gaps in your business savvy and dig into the “why behind the what.” Dive into projects like product launches, commercial rollouts, or optimizing operations. Stay curious and engage with your executive team for insights. This isn’t just about learning; it’s about life-long learning, building a shared language, and forging strong boardroom connections.

If you spot areas where your knowledge could be sharper, commit to formal training, courses or even a degree in business. Mid-career, I realized my technical expertise was only half the story. Enrolling in an executive business administration program opened my eyes to the bigger picture: finance, marketing, law, corporate governance, and beyond. This newfound knowledge helped me stand out in a male-dominated executive arena and contribute meaningfully to high-level strategy. For women in F&B, consider also pursuing board-readiness programs through organizations like Women in Manufacturing (WiM) or the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), which offer targeted pathways for technically-skilled leaders making the transition to governance roles.

Be relentless in promoting both your achievements (technical or otherwise) and your team’s wins. Every moment is a chance to shine; whether on a factory tour, at a company event, or during a casual town hall. Make it a point to connect with at least one or two executive leaders and highlight how your work is driving quality AND company success.

Have your elevator pitch ready and keep it punchy. For example, at a company sports event, I took the chance to share a recent factory success with a sales executive. I asked about their experience with product launches, discussed challenges, and dug into the latest sales results. That quick exchange communicated my grasp of the product lifecycle, customer engagement, commitment to quality, and passion for teamwork and marketing—a language he understood and was passionate about. Your operational credibility (the audits passed, the recalls prevented, the safety programs built from scratch) is your boardroom currency. Learn to speak about it in terms of business impact, and speak about it often.

Moving into leadership, I quickly noticed that men are fearless about making their wishes clear. Women tend to follow rules and accept the status quo, but men will push for a better title or a heftier paycheck. When several roles opened in my department, every male applicant negotiated; few women did. Curious, I asked the men why, and they spoke confidently about their worth and their responsibilities. It was a lesson in assertiveness I’ll never forget. At the board level, this principle extends beyond compensation. Ask to be considered for board committee roles: audit, quality, risk, or nominations. Ask for introductions to sitting board members. Ask your CEO directly: “What would it take for someone with my background to be considered for a governance role?” The ask itself signals readiness.

Invest time in understanding your own leadership approach and that of your board. Is it Transformational, Democratic, Autocratic, Servant, Delegative, Transactional, Charismatic, or Situational? Leadership styles often reflect culture, and finding gaps can be your ticket to adding unique value. As one of the few Americans on a global team, I was frequently tapped for my perspective on U.S. executive decision-making. Recognizing an autocratic-delegative style that clashed with a consensus-driven global culture, I positioned myself as a bridge championing collaboration, active listening, and shared goals. In food and beverage, where cross-functional alignment between operations, quality, commercial, and regulatory teams is mission-critical, women who lead with both technical authority and collaborative instinct are extraordinarily well-positioned to drive board-level impact.

Despite real progress in STEM education, operational access, and professional networks, women with technical backgrounds remain significantly underrepresented in F&B boardrooms. That gap isn’t a reflection of capability; it’s a reflection of systems that haven’t yet caught up. The path forward requires deliberate effort: forging executive relationships, mastering business acumen, confidently owning your achievements, negotiating boldly for advancement, and leveraging the leadership self-awareness that makes you a bridge-builder in any room.

When organizations prioritize hiring women with technical degrees and elevate them to board positions, the ripple effects are profound. Women with deep expertise in STEM and manufacturing bring a unique blend of analytical prowess, innovative thinking, and practical problem-solving skills to boardroom discussions. Their technical backgrounds not only enrich strategic conversations but also bolster operational oversight, ensuring that companies stay ahead in quality, safety, regulatory compliance, and R&D.

For F&B companies navigating rapid regulatory change, growing ESG accountability, and relentless pressure on quality and supply chain integrity, the inclusion of technically-skilled women in the boardroom isn’t just a diversity imperative, it’s a strategic one. Greater diversity of thought, stronger risk assessment, more connected cross-functional leadership: these aren’t soft outcomes. They show up in financial results, in innovation pipelines, and in the kind of ethical, resilient companies that consumers and investors increasingly demand. The door is there. It’s time to walk through it.