Cargill Company Stability & Growth

At its core, innovation is powered by people.

That’s especially true in the food and agriculture industry, where advancements in science and technology can transform our ability to sustainably feed a global population expected to grow by 500 million people in the next five years.

After all, everybody eats.

So, doesn’t everybody deserve a seat at the table (if you’ll pardon the pun) as we work to feed the world? To help farmers, ranchers, producers and distributors address some of the world’s biggest challenges, like feeding the 750 million people who are food insecure every day (including 1.4 million in Georgia), requires a range of experiences, ideas, perspectives and talents at every link of the farm-to-table supply chain.

Creating and leveraging innovations in digital technology and data is part of what drew me to a career in technology. In college, I was pursuing a math degree when I took an elective course in computer programming and that flipped the switch for me. I saw that I had the opportunity to help solve real-world problems with technology, and that has motivated me throughout my career as a technology executive proudly driving transformative change at global industrial businesses like Cargill .

As a global company with operations in more than 70 countries, Cargill strives to solve meaningful, purpose-driven food and agriculture challenges, like feeding our rapidly growing population with less land and fewer available resources.

You’ll find critical work happening to serve that purpose in Cargill offices around the globe, including our newest location in Atlanta, where we are on the path to hiring 400 technology and data teammates from all walks of life and in our Bangalore, India office where we are doubling our tech talent.

Cargill's new Atlanta office hub

One of the reasons we chose to invest in our new office hub is access to this widely recognized and continually growing technology center, thanks in large part to Atlanta’s vast, high-quality talent pool from internationally recognized universities and technology associations. These organizations further amplify Atlanta’s ability to attract tech companies—and the broad workforce necessary to power them.

Despite efforts from organizations like these to develop and support the technology talent pool, there’s a growing fear that advances in Generative AI and other technologies could eliminate the need for tech workers. GenAI may be transforming how we work, but it will not replace the need for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) talent to harness innovation for the world’s benefit. Multinational companies, including Cargill, continue to invest in tech talent and those in STEM will find their work is completed faster and more efficiently with a boost from AI.

And still, STEM workers do not represent the general population. As someone who has devoted my career to technology, I have seen firsthand the differentiated results achieved when our teams better represent the world around us. And as digital leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure we’re creating an environment where people want to be and can be successful, all the while being recognized. Teams that bring together diverse perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking are more effective at solving complex problems. They also foster environments where everyone feels valued, empowered, and able to contribute.

That’s exactly why Cargill aims to create a work environment that includes the multifaceted communities, customers and consumers we serve all over the world. Investing in and recognizing STEM fields and education helps us do this.

“I didn’t start out in tech, but I had support that guided me here,” Gaby says. “For me, helping others grow and succeed is just as fulfilling as solving technical challenges.”

While many STEM workers like Gaby are thriving, the number of women graduating from computer science programs has changed very little since I started working as a software developer in the late 1990s. Not only are talented individuals missing out on great career opportunities, but employers are also losing the creativity, passion, insights, and inspiration these diverse viewpoints bring to their teams.

I can affirm the notion that when I surround myself with amazing people with varying backgrounds and perspectives, the work is just…better. And I’m proud that Cargill fosters that belief, by emphasizing inclusion and a sense of belonging in the work that we do every day.

I encourage my fellow corporate leaders to open our minds to how we can best develop great STEM talent and teams.

Our companies, careers and communities will be better for it.

Join the team – Digital Technology and Data