Boston Scientific Packaging Engineer Earns Rising Leader Honor

Every year, the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) honors deserving members who volunteer their time and energy to further the organization’s goals and initiatives. This year, the Board of Directors bestowed the title of Rising Leader on James Naze, senior packaging engineer at Boston Scientific.

Naze, who has been an IoPP member since 2008, has more than 25 years of packaging experience and earned his Rising Leader nomination because of his active advocacy work in the association and beyond. He has provided valuable insight as a longtime IoPP Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee (MDPTC) member, and his continued involvement with IoPP highlights a deep commitment to the packaging industry.

Currently, Naze is president of the IoPP New England Chapter. During the pandemic, he kept the chapter active and engaged online. He frequently meets with IoPP regional vice presidents and other chapter leaders to share membership retention and growth ideas.

When asked to comment on his nomination, Naze was quick to share the credit: “Although it is nice to be recognized personally, what I think this really means is that the New England Chapter is being recognized as a strong and active group that wants to grow and enhance the experience for its members.”

Naze plans to continue growing membership in 2024 and get existing members more actively involved, particularly as hosts for plant tours. He would also like to find ways to better engage regional members outside the chapter’s historical “core zone” of Southeast New England. According to Naze, Connecticut and Southern New Hampshire are regions of untapped potential for member engagement.

“In addition to more manufacturing facility tours, we’d like to have a group outing to a Worcester Red Sox game or similar fun event,” he shares. “In regard to getting current members more involved, I’d like to fill all the open committee chair positions with members who have never been on the board before.”

Naze credits past presidents Lynne Barton and Joe Iannone with maintaining the chapter during tough times, and he believes that the chapter is stronger because of their leadership.

“I stand on the shoulders of giants,” he says. “They have taught me a lot, and I am forever grateful for their mentorship.”

If you’d like to get involved, reach Naze at [email protected].