Joanne Howarth

EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific Class of 2023
Founder and CEO, Planet Protector Packaging, Australia

Joanne Howarth is the Founder and CEO of Planet Protector Packaging (PPP), a company focused on providing sustainable insulated packaging and transforming cold supply chains.

PPP works with businesses to deliver “fit for purpose” solutions for their supply chain. While working for one of Australia’s largest meal kit providers, Joanne witnessed the unsustainable volume of polystyrene in use. This was the defining period that fueled the launch of PPP, where Joanne was able to set up a sustainable alternative. Through a crowdfunding campaign and a Federal Government grant, she raised funds to establish a wool processing facility in Geelong, Australia. With this facility, PPP is supporting sheep farmers, creating jobs, strengthening regional communities, and driving innovation and economic productivity across Asia-Pacific. In the near future, PPP is set to enter new verticals and expand globally to Southeast Asia.

In addition to a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and an MBA from the University of Technology Sydney, Joanne has 25 years of entrepreneurial experience across very diverse industry sectors.

Joanne was honored to be named Australia’s first-ever Laureate in the 2020 Cartier Women’s Initiative. She was named “The Woman to Watch — Global Growth” in the 2022 SBE Impact Awards. In the same year, PPP won Gold as the overall national winner at the Australian Sustainability Awards.