She started working for the company in 2003.
IntraFish: How did you begin working in the seafood industry?
Magdalena Lamprecht Wallhoff: In 2003, I began as an assistant sales rep. Not even a real sales rep. I was simply driving to food shows, mostly Sysco, and cooking up tilapia and talking about our fish. Maybe it's because I was still too green, but looking back, it seems to me that the industry has changed. It seemed smaller and more personal back then.
IF: What attracted you about the seafood industry?
MLW: What attracted me at the beginning to the seafood industry is what keeps me here to this day: we deal with everything under the sun: biology, weather patterns, infrastructure issues, politics, consumer trends, marketing, currencies, commodity pricing, etc. At Regal we always say, "Never a dull moment!" -- and there is a certain delight and luxury in that daily challenge.
IF: What obstacles have you faced in your career a man might not have encountered?
MLW: There are moments when I think, "Ok, if I was a man and 60 years old, I would be taken more seriously," but age is probably a bigger factor than gender.
Overall, it's a privilege to work with the men in this industry. I think many women here would agree that there is also something refreshing about working in a 'man's world.'
IF: Would you encourage other women to seek a career in this industry? Why?
MLW: I would certainly encourage women to work in this industry. It's an highly practical and fast-moving industry, exercising us across many disciplines, letting us experience multiple aspects of humanity simultaneously. It's fantastic. It isn't an industry that lends itself too well to a quiet family life, but that would be my only caveat.
IF: What advice would you give aspiring female seafood executives?
MLW: As for advice to female executives: be well-versed in production, supply chain, financials and sales. You cannot grow up in only one aspect of this business and be an effective leader.
IF: What are the biggest challenges facing female seafood executives in the industry?
MLW: Biggest challenge facing a female executive? I do not think there are any challenge particular to a female that wouldn't be the same for a male, except the family aspect. As progressive as we like to imagine ourselves to be, if a woman chooses to have children, there is a significant role that she plays in the family life that cannot be filled by anyone but a mother.
This industry demands a great deal of travel and nonstop communication, and a female executive who has a family has to be extra aware and purposeful how she meets the needs of the company and of the family. I certainly think that it is possible to have a successful career and a thriving family. The two are not exclusive. But, it takes a great deal of focus and energy.
IF: How can the industry recruit more women into the sector?
MLW: The question 'how can we recruit more women to join the industry' smells like meeting a quota. I never like the idea of any demographic being at the table simply because of their description.
If women want to work in this rather unglamorous but meaningful industry, they're free to join!
IF: Why are there so few women in executive roles in seafood?
MLW: Well, if we bring it down to its basic elements (dead fish), this industry isn't the first place a woman would look. Women have only recently established themselves in senior levels in other industries, so I think it's very natural that we don't yet have many female executives in the industry.
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?
MLW: Improving the industry for women: the answer to this depends on what level of employment you wish to improve. I see women on our farms who are single mothers and use our day care at work, and obviously such supports are important.
A steady paycheck and a safe environment to work -- these are elements that should pervade the industry at every level. At the executive level (and I think this is happening gradually) more vacation could be granted. In the USA, we simply do not check out enough. We should allow executives to step away and recharge -- regardless whether we are male or female.
IF: What was the dumbest advice a man in the seafood industry has ever given you?
MLW: "Wear a skirt. Don't wear pants to cover those legs of yours."
