The Female Vision: Women in Feed

11-Oct-2024 - Last updated on 12-Oct-2024 at 08:53 GMT

Next up in our series is Marloes Roetgerink. She is chief financial officer (CFO) and a member of the executive board at Dutch compound feed group, ForFarmers.

I began my career at Heineken as a finance trainee, where I thrived in a proud, professional environment and gained valuable insights into customer behavior while honing my leadership skills. After 10 years, I transitioned to FrieslandCampina, a large dairy cooperative, where my interest in the importance of healthy food, particularly animal proteins, deepened. As a mother of four, healthy nutrition is something I care deeply about, and I recognize that it remains inaccessible to many people around the world. Animal proteins from dairy, eggs, and meat are essential components of a healthy diet, especially for children.

This is why working towards affordable and sustainable food solutions is so important to me, and it's one of the things I value most about my work at ForFarmers. We believe that livestock farming will continue to play a vital role in the future food chain by transforming co-products from the food industry into high-quality proteins like milk, meat, and eggs, while also reducing emissions and supporting biodiversity. Some might choose to walk away from the challenges facing the industry, but I prefer to be part of the solution. I believe in evolution, not revolution, and that the only way forward is through collaboration—working side by side with farmers, industry leaders, retailers, and consumers.

We need greater diversity in the feed industry, and that goes beyond the conversation of gender alone. While the industry has room for improvement in diversity and inclusion, it is certainly not alone in this regard—every sector can benefit from more inclusive practices. Diverse teams are proven to drive better business performance in both the short and long term, a principle all companies should embrace.

Personally, being a woman has not hindered my career. In the organizations I’ve worked for, I was given the same opportunities as my male colleagues, and being a working mother did not affect my career progression. For example, at FrieslandCampina, I was promoted during my maternity leave. Across all industries, it's essential to be clear about your priorities. While a career is important, for many women, family and children come first. It may seem like an obvious decision for some, but I’ve noticed that it’s not always the case for everyone

I feel most valued when I receive feedback from my team—they serve as my mirror. My role is to support them, not the other way around. To truly benefit from their feedback, I focus on creating a safe environment where both their personal development and my own growth are prioritized. At Heineken, I've learned the importance and strength of showing vulnerability. Staying true to your values, embracing imperfections while still striving for excellence, and, most importantly, enjoying the journey are key lessons I've come to value.

Over the years, the sector has made considerable progress in setting diversity targets to drive cultural change. However, these efforts can sometimes trigger responses like, "I understand the goal of hiring more women, but our priority should be finding the best candidate." Reactions like this, along with the assumptions and emotions they reflect, are important to address. Discussing these viewpoints is crucial because true inclusivity means acknowledging the feelings and concerns that arise from the cultural shifts we aim to achieve.

A lot of people have an opinion about the feed industry. This opinion is not always based on facts and quite often influenced by media. The feed industry is a dynamic and essential sector that plays a crucial role in global food sustainability and animal health. The feed industry offers a wide range of career paths, from research and development to quality control, marketing, and sales. This diversity allows women to find roles that match their skills and interests, providing many opportunities for professional growth and specialization.

Women have the potential to make significant contributions to the feed industry by driving the development of sustainable, nutritious feed solutions that benefit not just the sector itself, but also the wider agricultural industry, the environment, and food supply chains. Their unique skills and perspectives are highly valuable in an industry that thrives on collaboration. Women can leverage these strengths to build strong professional networks, work with experts across various disciplines, and engage in meaningful partnerships. These abilities make them well-suited to succeed in this dynamic field.

I encourage more women to join the feed industry, as their participation not only promotes gender diversity but also enhances the overall efficiency, sustainability, and innovation within the sector.

As in all sectors, the percentage of women in leadership positions should—and will—continue to grow over the next decade. To ensure this progress stays on track, employers must actively monitor their organizations, cultures, and policies for any potential barriers to inclusiveness and take decisive action to address them. At the same time, individuals must take responsibility for their own choices and set clear priorities.

If you want to be successful, the first step is defining what success means for you personally. From there, you need to align all aspects of your life to support that vision. Set clear priorities around work content, personal growth, team and organizational development, as well as family, friends, and time for leisure and self-care. It's crucial to stay in control of your career and maintain a healthy work-life balance by being intentional and proactive in your decisions.

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