Employee Profile

“Cargill has an impressive heritage and a truly noble purpose: to nourish people. The private nature of Cargill contributes to a strong culture of respect for one another and a very pleasant and collegial working environment. Cargill is growing rapidly in Asia, and I am very excited by the opportunities in the near future.”

If you get bored at Cargill, there is something wrong.  Every story in the paper every day affects us.  There is market volatility and industry shocks from political decision.  Cargill’s business which involves the sourcing, trading, and processing of commodities, food and feed ingredients is at the confluence of global international trade, food security, climate change and regional politics and it is in turn based on the story of how economies and societies around the world are developing.  It is incredibly exciting to go to work every day at Cargill knowing that I am working close to the beating heart of the world economy.

Describe your work responsibilities and the importance of your role.

I am currently the Business Development Director for Cargill’s Indonesia starches and sweetener business. In my role, I am responsible for the discovery, analysis and development of all new commercial opportunities for the business in line with the strategy. I also oversee the implementation of all key strategic initiatives for the business. I play a critical role in ensuring that we are moving in the right direction according to our strategy and that the business is putting the its focus and priorities in the right initiatives.

Describe your career path. Where did you start and how did you get to where you are today?

I graduated with an electrical engineering degree in 2004 and my first job was with Siemens as an R&D engineer in its electronic assembly division where I worked on bringing technology from Germany and localizing it for production in Singapore.

After a year at Siemens, it became clear to me that my interests laid more in running businesses. So I joined Accenture as an analyst in their SAP consulting division. Over the next 6 years at Accenture, I advised clients on optimizing their supply chain operation as well as leveraging SAP as a key enabler for their business operations. I rose from Analyst to Consultant to Manager during that time. My time at Accenture gave me invaluable exposure to the heavy equipment and pharmaceutical industry and honed my skill set in project management and in designing business processes.

After 6 years at Accenture, with my interest in general management as clear as ever, I felt it was time to broaden my knowledge in business and receive formal education on the topic. This led me to spend a full year studying at INSEAD business school in 2011.

Upon graduating from INSEAD in 2012, I joined Cargill in their MBA leadership program known as the Strategy and Business Development program. Over the next 4 years, I developed business strategy and also led valuation, diligence and negotiation efforts of Cargill’s various mergers and acquisition transactions. This incredibly exciting time gave me broad exposure to the food industry, a deep understanding of successful business models and strategies at Cargill and a rich network of business leaders to learn from.

In 2016, I graduated from Cargill’s leadership program and landed a strong leadership and commercial role in the Indonesia starches and sweeteners business as the Business Development Director. This represents the next phase in my career at Cargill whereby I will gain further exposure to general management, leadership and day to day business operations.