Gill Loubser, packaging journalist, dies at 82

South Africa’s packaging and print community is mourning the loss of one of its most influential voices. Gill Loubser – journalist, editor, mentor and co-founder of Packaging & Print Media (PPM) and longtime correspondent for Labels & Labeling – passed away on 4 December at the age of 82 following a sudden heart attack.

For more than four decades, Loubser shaped the industry’s understanding of itself. She reported with rigor, translated complex technology with clarity, and brought humanity to every profile and page. Her career began with a breakthrough moment in 1978, when she became the first female appointed editor within the Review group’s industrial technical journals.

Loubser went on to co-found PPM, serve as national chairman of the Institute of Packaging South Africa (IPSA), and represent the continent for over 40 years as Africa’s sole member of the International Packaging Press Organisation (IPPO). She was also Labels & Labeling’s South African correspondent for many years.

Andy Thomas-Emans, former editor of Labels & Labeling worked closely with Loubser. ‘From the time I started my journey into packaging journalism in 1989, Gill was a constant presence at international press events. She was a warm-hearted, funny, articulate woman who was always happy to share her extensive knowledge with newcomers to the journalistic pool. She remained a friend and colleague over the years. I remember Gill’s unsparing help in setting up our first Label Summit in South Africa back in 2012 and the Wine Label Summit two years later. Then as L&L’s longtime Africa correspondent, Gill became the voice and champion of the African packaging industry to our readers. She will be sorely missed by so many of us from that generation of packaging journalists.'  

Global and local honors followed Loubser’s career, including the World Packaging Organisation (WPO)’s Lifetime Achievement in Packaging and the renaming of Packaging SA’s top accolade in her honor.

Colleagues say her true legacy lies in the people she mentored. IPPO president Lindy Hughson called her ‘a guiding light,’ while peers across the world remembered her warmth, generosity and sharp editorial instinct.

Loubser’s influence stretched across continents, yet her impact was most deeply felt at home, in the careers she nurtured, the communities she connected and the standard she set for packaging journalism.