Employee Profile

“Working at Cargill is a reward in itself as the company makes me grow not only as a professional, but also as a person.”

Cargill is not only huge in figures, but also in very talented people. Cargill gives an employee the opportunity to learn among the best in their areas and to develop every day. Being such a big organization spread all over the world, Cargill is a land of opportunities.

Describe your work responsibilities and the importance of your role.

Being the controller gives me the opportunity to interact with all the departments of the company in areas such as creating useful information for internal and external customers; granting the creation and maintenance of a reliable control environment; paying employees, suppliers and taxes on time; and being a champion on spreading the corporation values and guiding principles. I’m convinced all this generates and gives value to the organization, building a company with a sustainable future for all employees. The controller is often mentioned as the co-pilot of the company, a sentence I believe to give a good illustration of my job.

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

On a day to day, I need to play my role in a very critical and analytical way in order to provide accuracy of information generated and policies applied. Having an open mind and a good level of awareness is very important, but often we have to use and build tools to help us, so it is very important to know how to take the best out of ERP’s, business intelligence tools, and of course, spreadsheets (a controller‘s best friend). Good managerial skills are very important, and the courage to make a decision, no matter how hard it can be.

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

I started in the company as the controller for a small distributer for the premix and specialties business in Portugal. Being a small organization, this allowed me to act on areas as diverse as finance, tax, legal, EH&S, logistics and procurement. After some years I moved to my current role as controller for the feed business of Provimi in Portugal. In 2011, with the Cargill acquisition of Provimi, a new journey for my role as started in the same company.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

Working at Cargill is a reward in itself as the company makes me grow not only as a professionals but also as a person. We see our work recognized and there are lots of opportunities of career development. It is also very motivating when we see our effort contribute to the organization to achieve results. And I cannot forget to say how rewarding it is to work for a company that contributes so much for my community.

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 joined Cargill with the Provimi acquisition and these years at Cargill have really boosted my development. Every day we face new challenges and learning opportunities. In order to help me face these challenges there is always someone available either to share his knowledge and experience, or to provide me with the tools. Here we can really see what teamwork is about, and all this helps me to thrive.

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

Being such a big organization, there are opportunities at every level of a professional career, and also the possibility of moving ahead. Working at Cargill is an opportunity that cannot be wasted because of all you can get. If a person is searching for career development and professional growth, then Cargill is the right place to achieve it.

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

My favorite activities outside of work are the ones with family, specially playing with my kids. I also like cooking. Watching a good movie, or relaxing reading a book are also things I love to do. And like most Portuguese, I love watching football.