Employee Profile
Name: Catharina H.
Title: Associate Product Line Manager
Career Area:
Sales & Commercial
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Education: University of Mannheim, Germany; MSc in Business Administration
“At Cargill you get the opportunity to speak up, present your entrepreneurial ideas and go for it. I interact with great people, getting motivated and inspired by their thoughts, ideas and work.”
Cocoa is grown around the equator in West Africa, Indonesia and South America. The raw materials are processed in factories located in all regions of the world and supplied to our customers in Europe and the US, as well as other places around the globe. The cocoa business is truly global and our suppliers, customers and competitors are as well. In each part of the business we can have an impact on others. With our sustainability programs, we strive to improve the livelihood of farmers in origin countries, with innovative products we satisfy our customer’s and consumer’s needs.
Describe your work responsibilities and the importance of your role.
In product line management, we manage the capacities of our factories and establish the value of that capacity. We decide at which prices we want to market the products, managing the margins the business is making. The discipline is central to the business to ensure optimal capacity utilization and profitability. In my function as Associate Product Line Manager for cocoa butter and cocoa liquor in Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate I work with the product line managers and am responsible for various commercial projects.
Describe your day-to-day activities and the skills needed to perform well.
I follow and analyze the cocoa bean and products markets to develop and validate the pricing and positioning for the respective product lines. To be up to date with developments we are in constant exchange with other departments such as sales, trade, research, production and supply chain as well as external market participants, traders and customers. I advise and give guidelines to our sales, supply chain and production colleagues on things like pricing, product availability, planning and running rates. In addition to the day-to-day business, I am the lead for projects such as the production and customer transfer between factories for our specialty product portfolio
Describe your career path. Where did you start and how did you get to where you are today?
I started as a Commercial Management trainee at Cargill in the role of merchant on the cocoa trade desk. In this role, I was responsible for marketing cocoa butter and cocoa liquor in the German speaking markets. In my second year at Cargill I spent several months in Berlin as part of the integration team after the acquisition of a German competitor, responsible for integrating the cocoa butter and liquor book. Within the new commercial organization of Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate I moved to the role of Associate Product Line Manager focusing on capacity and margin management.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Following my conviction, pursuing and reaching goals through driving the business forward. At Cargill you get the opportunity to speak up, present your entrepreneurial ideas and go for it. I interact with great people, getting motivated and inspired by their thoughts, ideas and work.
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 with truly global businesses. On a daily basis I interact with people from around the world. I am meeting and working with interesting, motivated and entrepreneurial people. Cargill is a growing company offering lots of opportunities for individuals to grow and thrive. In addition Cargill’s commitment to ethical standards and guiding principles is very important as it is in line with my own values. Cargill is also taking the lead in sustainability e.g. endorsing the U.N. declaration on deforestation. I enjoy working in this dynamic and entrepreneurial environment.
What advice would you give someone interested in a career at Cargill like yours?
You need to be committed, work towards achieving your goals, never stop being curious and look outside the box. At Cargill you should constantly challenge yourself and be open for opportunities. You can learn a lot from your experiences on the job and the great people around you.
Share an interesting tidbit about yourself such as hobbies, volunteerism, favorite foods or activities, accomplishments inside or outside of work.
I enjoy travelling and discovering new places and cultures as well as visiting my family and friends scattered around the globe. When at home I like to play tennis or other sports or simply relax, meet friends and enjoy a good meal.