Employee Profile

“The process of identifying opportunities, gathering relevant information, forming a game plan and executing on that game plan successfully is very rewarding for me.”

I have had the good fortune to work in a few different Cargill locations in the US and Europe. At every stop and every point in my career I have enjoyed coming to work every day because of the quality of people I worked with. Cargill’s values and approach to business attract likeminded people and that allows the company to build high performing teams everywhere in the world.
Describe your work responsibilities and the importance of your role.

I work for Cargill’s World Trading Unit on the soybean desk. We have a team of four people who are responsible for defining and executing Cargill’s global soybean trading strategy. We are at the center of Cargill’s global soybean network and work with all Cargill origins and destinations to gather market information and use that information to position the company to make money trading futures, cash and freight.

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

My job is different every day, which is one of the reasons I enjoy the merchandising/trading job family. My main activities include developing game plans via communication with Cargill offices around the world, gathering and analyzing supply and demand information and then buying and selling physical and future soybean contracts based on our analysis. Necessary skills for my job include appetite for risk, decisiveness, team work approach and an ability to remain calm during stressful/volatile situations.

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

I started as a commodity merchant intern at a soybean crushing plant in Des Moines, IA. From there I had two other jobs in the Midwest US in the domestic oilseeds market before moving to Minneapolis to trade soybeans in export market. After learning the US export market, I had the opportunity to move to Geneva to trade soybeans on a global team. Each job I had enabled me to learn more about the commodity markets, which ultimately opened up more doors to bigger jobs.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

In trading you uncover new opportunities to make money every day. The process of identifying opportunities, gathering relevant information, forming a game plan and executing on that game plan successfully is very rewarding for me.

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?

I originally chose Cargill, and more specifically the commodity merchant position, because it was one of the few jobs I found where I could apply economic supply/demand fundamentals every day. What keeps me at Cargill are the high character, intelligent people I work with and the opportunities we get to pursue as a team.

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

If you want to work for a company with global opportunities, where you can be in charge of your own career development, which operates in industries that will always be in demand, with people with high integrity and character then Cargill is a great choice.

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

I knew moving to Europe would be a great experience for our family, but living in Switzerland for 1.5 years has changed our lives in a few ways we never expected: We now enjoy playing and watching soccer, we have become cheese and chocolate enthusiasts and we desperately miss air conditioning and fast food.