August 28, 2025
What happens when a company makes learning part of how it works, everyday?
This year, around 18,000 employees from 73 countries came together for Tetra Pak’s fifth annual Learning Conference. It’s a month-long event that showcases learning as a continuous part of everyday work. It aims to create a culture where learning is woven into the fabric of how colleagues collaborate and grow together.
“Personal development isn’t reserved for a few at Tetra Pak. Whether you're in an office in Germany or on the factory floor in Columbia, the opportunities are there and the expectation is the same: you own your growth, and we’ll support you to make it happen,” explains Yves Zerbib, VP for Human Resources Competence and Support Centres.
Learning, shared
With rapid shifts in technology, regulation, and global expectations, staying relevant becomes about embracing challenges, learning from setbacks, and staying open to new ideas. The Learning Conference aims to help employees #stayrelevant. But not just in the sense of keeping up, it’s about giving people and teams the time, tools and inspiration to evolve their learning and build new skills.
With a wide mix of sessions from AI and automation to wellbeing, leadership, creativity, and storytelling, it’s an event designed to encourage everyone to think about their role, their potential, and their ability to adapt.
In Thailand, teams did more than tune in. They built on the global programme in a way that made it locally meaningful. “We didn’t just promote the Learning Conference – we made it ours,” says Ratanasiri Tilokskulchai, Managing Director of Tetra Pak Thailand.
“We set up rooms, invited cross-functional teams, and yes, shared massive buckets of popcorn. The real magic happened afterwards, in the conversations that followed. That’s where ideas were exchanged, questions asked, and development became real.” Yves saw similar scenes play out in other markets.
“The smartest leaders make space for this kind of thing. They know the follow-up conversations are where learning becomes shared – and where culture starts to shift. That’s what we want: informal spaces that make formal growth stick.”
Career Day and the culture of curiosity
Career Day, launched in 2025, is an extension of Tetra Pak’s broader learning culture - designed to create real, accessible opportunities for employees to reflect on their development and explore new possibilities. It complements the Learning Conference and reinforces the idea that personal growth is not a side project, it’s part of how Tetra Pak operates.
The live event offered 28 sessions, from growth mindset coaching to panel talks with leaders who had moved roles across different functions. One of the most popular sessions was: How to build your personal brand.
“We wanted to create something that worked for everyone,” says Yves. “Not just those on a certain path or level. That’s why we invested in making it open and accessible, wherever you sit in the organisation.”
In practice, this reflects our wider ambition: delivering development at scale, globally. It’s about the democratisation of growth, making sure that every employee, in every role and region, can access meaningful opportunities to have a fulfilling career and evolve.
Making growth personal
It’s easy to talk about learning. Harder to embed it. But for leaders like Ratanasiri, the connection between learning and leadership is personal.
“I’m a product of this growth culture. I’ve been guided, challenged and supported by great leaders at Tetra Pak. Career planning, stretch assignments, even rejections – they all shaped me. Growth here is real. I’ve lived it.”
She now works to create the same for others. But she acknowledges it takes intentional effort, especially in cultures like Thailand where humility is deeply ingrained. “Sometimes people wait to be recognised. They don’t want to seem pushy. But I try to show them it’s not only okay to ask – it’s encouraged.”
Yves agrees. “A strong learning culture doesn’t start with courses. It starts with mindset. And it grows when people feel trusted, supported and seen. It’s not about handing people a ladder and telling them to climb — it’s about creating an environment where they can build their own path, with the right support along the way.”
Why it matters
So why does all this matter – to the company, to candidates, to customers?
“It’s not just about learning to do your job better,” says Yves. “It’s about learning to stay relevant, to stay inspired, and to keep growing – both professionally and personally. That’s how we fuel innovation. That’s how we help people show up at their best.”
It’s a message that resonates not just at the global level, but in local teams too, where learning often begins as a personal decision and is shaped by everyday leadership.
“Your career is in your hands,” says Ratanasiri. “We’ll support you. But you have to take the first step.” That might mean exploring something new, joining a session that sparks curiosity, or simply having a conversation about where you want to go. That’s how growth begins.
