Employee Profile

“I feel very proud when I see the people I helped develop continue to grow."

Throughout my career with Cargill, I could testify how important our role as a company is in helping nourish the world. No matter which step of the supply chain we’re involved in (from the origin all the way to the destination of our products), it is clear that our customers recognize us as part of a single organism that shares common values.

Describe your work responsibilities and the importance of your role.

Currently I´m the origination commercial manager. My job is to engage the commercial team in ways that help capture as many market opportunities as possible. We accomplish this by working in a creative, agile way and respecting the local culture of all the locations we do business. Before I joined the origination team, I worked for seven years on the soybean trading desk in Brazil, which gave me a lot of exposure with our global trading teams and foreign customers. 

Describe your day-to-day activities and the skills needed to perform well.

I need to make sure that our origination team is focused to capture all of the opportunities in the market. Therefore, the team must be engaged and clear about each individual’s role in the success of the whole team. The most important skills in my current job are to deeply understand our supply chain, maintain curiosity and display leadership that keeps the team engaged.

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

I graduated as a mechanical engineer, but always had a very strong interest in business and markets. After I graduated, I worked for a short period as an engineer in an automobile plant, but joined Cargill through a trainee program. I was hired for a position on the trading team, however it is important for an agricultural trader to also have knowledge of what happens out on the farm (how the crops are grown, commercialized and transported). After one year in the interior of Brazil, I was transferred to the origination desk in São Paulo. Later, there was an opportunity to work on the trading team where I spent seven years on the soybean desk. Since May 2015, I am back with the origination team working as the commercial manager.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

The most rewarding part of my job is the fact that we are in an industry that is very dynamic and challenging. It is dynamic because we have to confront forces that we do not control (for example, weather, the influence of other markets, etc.) and react very quickly. It is challenging because we are highly dependent on people to be successful as a company.

Why did you choose to join Cargill and what keeps you here? In other words, how has a career at Cargill helped you to thrive?

Cargill is a global company that has very strong and clear principles and also respects the local cultures where we do business. These shared values allow me to have a long-term plan for my career inside the company.

What advice would you give someone interested in a career at Cargill like yours?

Cultivate curiosity and a long-term plan. Cargill is a huge, 150-year-old company, so you need to think about your long-term career goals and work toward them. Timing is not always perfect, but since Cargill is so diversified, you will always find job opportunities for a long-term career in the company.

Share an interesting tidbit about yourself such as hobbies, volunteerism, favorite foods or activities, accomplishments inside or outside of work.

Although at my current job I have little contact with pure engineering, there is still “engineer’s blood” in my veins! I am addicted to tools and whenever there is something to fix or build, I see it as an excuse to get more tools! Unfortunately, I live in an apartment and there is not much space to store these tools, so it drives my wife crazy!