WFA hosted its first webinar of the year entitled “How you can flourish in agrifood in 2025″ on Thursday 30th January. This engaging 60-minute session brought together three seasoned leaders from the agri-food industry, who shared their personal stories, strategies, and practical advice on thriving in an ever-evolving sector.
The esteemed panellists were Patricia Stroup, Former Chief Procurement Officer of Nestlé, Megan Pydigadu, Chief Operating Officer of SPAR South Africa and Anne Koontz, Research Manager: Publications and Communications at Alltech.
Moderator Ollie Theocharous, Content Director of Expana started by setting the scene: “We’re going to dive into the strategies that these successful agrifood industry leaders are using to thrive in this challenging industry that’s always changing… to learn a bit about how we can develop a growth mindset and move forward in our personal lives and career.”
Navigating change and embracing challenges
The conversation quickly turned to how our leaders overcame challenges and adapted to significant changes in 2024. Megan Pydgadu spoke of transitioning from a CFO to a COO role and moving from the tech sector to retail. “It was quite a big challenge for me in terms of jumping into new industry and jumping into a new role and on top of that,” she explained.
For Megan, embracing challenges is about, “being comfortable being uncomfortable… putting yourself out there and accepting challenges,” as well as “having a curious mindset and really wanting to learn.”
Anne Koontz talked about overcoming challenges in both her personal and professional life. She shared how, at times, she had to “learn to give myself grace” during moments when she couldn’t give 100% at work. This resonated deeply with many listeners, emphasizing the importance of self-compassion.
Patricia Stroup also weighed in, highlighting the importance of staying open to new experiences. “Always reserve the right to get smarter and not just intellectually smarter, but to be open to new experiences, new cultures and learning new things,” she explained.
Maintaining a growth mindset
The panellists also discussed how to maintain a growth mindset, especially after facing setbacks. Anne shared one of favourite quotes: “the master has failed more times than the beginner has tried.” She went on to tell us, “there’s always something more to learn, there’s always further to go… if you feel like you’ve gotten to the end, you’ve probably done it wrong.”
Patricia echoed this sentiment, quoting: “It is very timid and conceited, to worry about making mistakes. Of course, they’re mistakes – now go make the next one.” She also spoke about how, early in her career, she would only apply for jobs she knew she could do. Over time, however, she learned to take risks. “Whenever I make a mistake… I would call it tuition. I could have paid Stanford or Harvard a lot of money to just learn what I just learned.”
Megan agreed, emphasizing how her greatest career growth came during challenging times. “The greatest growth phases in my career have been when I’ve experienced the most challenges and hardships… It makes you learn so much about yourself”
Goal setting and reflection
When asked about goal setting the group revealed their approaches. Patricia admitted “I don’t really set annual goals for myself… it makes me feel like I’m cutting my life up into too many little pieces.” Instead, she prefers to focus on project-based goals.
Megan takes a more reflective approach asking herself “How did the year go? What do I want to do differently and what do I want to change? It’s a lot of reflection… thinking about what do I want [and] what do I want to embrace this year?”
Building strong teams
A key part of thriving in any industry is fostering a strong, supportive team culture. The panellists shared their insights on how to build and nurture such teams. Megan emphasized trust as the foundation of any successful team.
“The primary [thing] about building a team is trust, that has to come first. It’s about treating people as adults and holding them accountable and responsible [but knowing] that you’re supporting them.”
Anne was in agreement, explaining, “If you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far and really have an impact, you have to have a team.” She stressed that building a team is about collaboration, not speed.
“You have to hire people who are better and smarter than you are, and you have to be okay with that,” Patricia added. “Then your job is really to conduct the orchestra. So set the vision, be very clear so that they know what it is and then set the priorities.”
Empowering women in the agrifood industry
In the final segment, the panellists offered inspiring advice for women who may doubt their own abilities. Megan’s message was simple: “Don’t ever compare yourself to anyone else. Compare yourself to yourself. Try and be the best version of yourself.”
Anne advised, “I think one of the most important things we can do is surround ourselves with people who will give us the support when we don’t have it for ourselves.”
Patricia’s message was equally empowering: “I think the bigger question isn’t are you capable… it’s can I become capable. Have faith in your ability to become capable.”
Watch the full webinar here
Gain more insightful learnings for leaders like these at out WFA events running on the 25th February in Amsterdam and the 22nd September in Chicago. Find out more information here
