Forty Under 40: Questioning the status quo, rethinking rules and seeking sustainable solutions - The Noel D'Cunha Sunday Column

Almost a decade later, a fresh pedigree of superintelligent youngsters are shaking up the workplace, and their impact is important.

In the Indian print and packaging industry, more than 70% of businesses are family-owned. As per a mini-survey we conducted during the PrintWeek Awards 2024, more than 75% of the businesses continue to have the founders playing a key role in the family business, with 70%  of them having inducted a second-gen or third-gen member.

This brings us to the topic of technology. It’s the theme of PrintWeek’s Forty Under 40.

Almost every single person is asking tough questions about how to use multiple technologies to create that one great job. The good news is: transparency.  Traditionally, our industry has been too slow about information-sharing and offering support to a competitor. That’s changing. Quite radically.

Also there is a step forward towards being sustainable-centric instead of customer-centric. This means three things: having a supply chain ecosystem which is sustainable; green alternatives for packaging and printing; and having practical sustainable goals.

Of course everyone understands that revenue will always triumph over sustainability. But on the shop floor and through job creations, the mantra is: sustainability. The move towards sustainability is real and the smart movers know it. And so, they are innovating to improve sustainability, since they know, it can reap strong benefits....  

Finally, our interactions with the Forty Under 40 exude good news. The point is, our industry has remained a bright spot for top-end spending despite slowdown in many other markets. The forty winners (and there are many more) are the backbone of this growth.

Three cheers. And more power to the Forty Under 40. 

Read more in PrintWeek's December 2023 edition.