She is overseeing the integration process of Ewos into Cargill.
IntraFish Media: How did you begin working in the seafood industry?
Hilde Waage: The last term of my Master of Science at Norwegian School of Economics, I studied at ESADE in Barcelona. The exchange program required a four month internship abroad and I wanted to go somewhere where I could continue to improve my Spanish. I knew that a company from my home community (today Austevoll Seafood) had done some investments in South America and called one of the owners to find out whether there might be any possibility for me to get a four-month stay in their operation in Chile.
The short story is that the four months turned into four years, as a financial director for a business with four to five purse seiners and a fishmeal plant in Coronel, Chile. When I started, the fishmeal plant was owned by Ewos, so this was my first interaction with the same company employing me today, and the four years in the fishmeal industry in Chile was probably one of the most challenging, still the most educational and fun years of my carreer. Since then I’ve always had a passion for the industry.
After that I worked a couple of years related to the fish processing industry in Poland before I decided to leave finance for a while, when I worked nine years as a management consultant in Mercuri Urval.
In 2009 I decided to go back to the industry and to finance. For more than five years I worked in Ocea, a global supplier of aquaculture solutions with operations in Norway, Chile and United Kingdom, before I joined Ewos as director global HR & corporate functions in September last year. Just recently Cargill announced their acquisition of Ewos. We have started planning our integration process.
My role will be to lead this integration process together with my partner from Cargill. There are a lot of things which have impressed me by Cargill already, and since this interview is about women in seafood, I have to mention that the leader of Cargill Feed & Nutrition, where Cargill has most of it’s aquafeed business today, is led by an amazing woman, Sarena Lin. Cargill emphasizes maintaining a working environment of inclusion and diversity and the percentage of female executive level leaders in Cargill Animal Nutrition today is 16.8 percent with a goal to achieve 19 percent this year.
IF: What attracted you about the seafood industry?
HW: I grew up on a small island in a Norwegian fishing community, so I guess the fishing industry was a very natural choice for me. This industry is never boring, we have a lot of fun and I especially enjoy working in an international environment.
IF: What obstacles have you faced in your career a man might not have encountered?
HW: I have seen many Norwegian men within the seafood industry finding their wives in Chile. Well, the opposite did not work out for me, so I decided to go back home to Norway to find my husband and establish a family.
IF: Would you encourage other women to seek a career in this industry? Why?
HW: Definitely! It is a very dynamic industry, with rapid changes. Looking 10 to 20 years back, the industry was very different, and looking ahead this fast development will continue. To be a part of this development is very exciting and inspiring. Last, but not least, you work in an international environment contributing to feeding the world.
IF: What advice would you give aspiring female seafood executives?
HW: Be yourself, don’t try to be a man. You are probably surrounded by a lot of them, though, so challenge their thinking, use your competitive advantage as a female, and do it smart and with a positive mindset, chose your fights, be pragmatic, focus on the results and make sure you make your impact.
IF: What are the biggest challenges facing female seafood executives in the industry?
HW: I assume female executives in the seafood industry are facing exactly the same challenges as female executives in other industries: how to achieve balance in life. You have to make priorities, you have to co-operate well with your spouse or partner and you have to give up something, otherwise you will not survive.
IF: How can the industry recruit more women into the sector?
HW: To attract and retain female talents, develop them and make sure your company provides an inclusive environment encouraging diversity in thought and experience. Such an environment will fuel innovation and cooperation and drive success.
Be conscious in the recruitment process. Require that there is at least one female candidate among the final candidates. Look for talents from other industries as well.
IF: Why are there so few women in executive roles in seafood?
HW: The industry has been very good at developing their own talents, and as this has been a very man-dominated industry, there have been mostly men in the talent pools. In addition the industry has been reluctant to recruit from other industries.
The companies have to be conscious that they have a balance of gender in their talent pools, they have to be open to recruiting talent from other industries and they need to make sure they retain their female talent.
IF: If there were one thing you could change about the industry to make it a better place for women workers, what would it be?
HW: Maybe soften the language somewhat. It can be quite rough sometimes and I guess I have become quite callous over the years. I would have liked to see an environment with higher degree of respect for others, inclusion and positive feedback or recognition.
IF: What was the dumbest advice a man in the seafood industry has ever given you?
HW: My leaders have always been men, but I cannot recall any bad advice. They have all shown me trust and offered me new opportunities which I have grabbed. Like the opportunity offered to me just now, to lead the integration process between Ewos and Cargill.
