Employee Profile

“As a trader, I am proud to be part of a supply chain that brings grains to distant corners of the world.”

As a trader, I am proud to be part of a supply chain that brings grains to distant corners of the world. These places are usually deficit areas in Asia, Africa and the Middle East which rely on imports from Europe, North America and the Black Sea region. Only global organisations like Cargill are capable of a cost-efficient and reliable transport, and can make sure that people there will get their daily bread on the table.

Describe your work responsibilities and the importance of your role.

Cargill is one of the biggest originators of wheat, corn and barley in Poland. My main responsibilities are to trade and coordinate the origination surplus into export destinations. This can be split up in three different tasks: First, I am selling our grains on trucks to millers and compounders in Eastern Germany; second, I am trading wheat, corn, rye, etc. on coasters into other EU destinations; and finally, I am communicating trading activities between our field managers and the hub in Geneva, Switzerland, to ensure grain exports to Asian and African destinations on large vessels (up to 65,000 tons).

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

Being a trader requires strong analytical and numerical capabilities. I have to be quick and accurate and stay focused in everything I do. Thorough market analysis and price-anticipation are crucial to be successful on a trading job. I am also working with customers – real people on the other side of our supply chain. I try to consider their ideas and wishes in order to create customer satisfaction. And if there is a problem I sometimes have to think out of the box to find a solution which is best for both sides.

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

In August 2010, I started as Commercial Management Trainee on the Grain Desk in Salzgitter, Germany. During my two-year traineeship I worked in different departments, such as trading, trade execution and financial. At the beginning of 2013 I made a short-term assignment in Krasnodar, Russia, where my main responsibility was barley exports. After my return to Salzgitter I focused on feed grains trading on various markets in Germany, Scandinavia and the Benelux. And in August 2014 I decided to widen my horizon a bit further and move to Warsaw, Poland, to pick up my current position as Senior Grain Trader.

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?

The greatest thing about Cargill is the seemingly countless amount of opportunities you have within the company. From food providing to agricultural business, from industrial products to financial services – Cargill covers almost all areas of life and offers a great variety of job perspectives. Personally, I enjoy the possibility to work with professionals who challenge and motivate me every day. There is always something new I can learn from them which keeps my work exciting and pushes me to high performance. At the same time I can always bring in my own ideas and give everything we do a personal touch.

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

Everyone who wants to start a trading job I would advise to stay open-minded. You will never see a time in your career when you will know everything. And be prepared for a fast-living environment with constant changes and permanent challenges. “Every day is a school day”, is what my former manager used to say – and you should live up to that.

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

I am a passionate traveller and I use every possibility to get around and see the world. After my graduation from university I fulfilled my childhood dream and travelled as a backpacker across South America. It was a unique experience and I have great memories of these 5 months. Since I started working it has become more difficult to find such a period for travelling. Luckily, my job offers many possibilities to work and see other places at the same time. So having been in Russia and having moved to Poland are great ways to work, get around and widen my horizon.