Mentorship has long been recognized as one of the most effective tools for personal and professional development. It creates a space where experience meets ambition, where challenges are met with guidance, and where both mentors and mentees gain new experiences and skills. Mentorship can offer a way for people in the industry to take ownership of their careers, build confidence, and foster communities to enact meaningful change.
The Women in Food and Agriculture Mentorship Program which is supported by Alltech has been matching female mentees with mentors of any gender since 2021. Expana spoke to two participants who were matched in 2024, who openly shared their experiences as a mentor-mentee pair. Seen through their mirrored perspectives their stories highlight how mentorship doesn’t just build careers- it builds community, resilience, and even friendships.
[Expana] Can you briefly introduce yourself and explain your day-to-day role?
[Jessica Jiménez] My name is Jessica Jiménez, I’m 33 years old and I’m from México. For the past six years I have been part of Alltech’s Finance team in Serdán, where I am a Business Management Engineer overseeing vendor payments, working with clients for intercompany accounts receivable and cash flow management.
[Vivian Sales] I am Vivian Sales, I’m a 37-year-old Brazilian with a degree in Business Management and an MBA in Agribusiness. I have over 16 years of experience at Syngenta, where I’ve worked across various areas including Local Marketing, Commercial Operations, Demand Planning, and Latin America Marketing. Currently, I serve as a Project Manager, leading an end-to-end process review for commodity products. My role focuses on enhancing margins and improving net cash flow for the company’s P&L.
[Expana] Why did you decide to take part in the WFA mentorship program?
[Vivian Sales] I learned about the program through internal communications in Syngenta and I became extremely interested and curious to learn more. I started to look for more information about the mission of the program and found it connects a lot with my principles, my beliefs, and my personal goals.
We women see a lot of biases in agribusiness markets, and I decided to apply to WFA and engage with the cause to listen and learn from other women’s experiences, difficulties, share best practices. For me I was certain about the confidence we would build together with WFA.
[Jessica Jiménez] For me, mentoring for women is important because it helps to break down barriers, and fosters a culture of equality and inclusion. Within my company there are several women holding important positions. They’re great leaders with strong core values, all of them inspire me and I wanted to be part of this group of empowered women. I read some publications about WFA in a weekly article from my company, there was an open invitation to apply for this amazing mentorship program, so I said to myself, “My time is now”.
[Expana] How did you feel going into that first meeting? Was there anything surprising or unexpected about your initial interactions?
[Vivian Sales] I already had experience as a mentee and mentor, but even with that experience, I always find myself anxious about what a new journey might look like. What will the main pain points be? How will the mentee react and join in the dialogue? For me, the connection you create at the first moment will define the next sessions and the result.
But my anxiety passed in the first 15 minutes of speaking with Jessica. Jessica is a very dedicated person, a woman with strong personality and beliefs, so at that moment I knew we were going to create a particularly good journey.
[Jessica Jiménez] Before the first meeting with my mentor, I was nervous and curious, I am not a shy person, but sometimes it gets difficult for me to open up to other people. But suddenly, there was Vivian with all her good vibes and a big smile, we had the best first meeting, everything flowed naturally. This meeting turned into talking like we were old friends, we talked about ourselves, our career paths, our hobbies, fun and difficult experiences.
[Expana] How did you build trust and establish open communication early on?
[Jessica Jiménez] From the very beginning we built a strong commitment and took it very seriously, agreed periodicity of the meetings and set schedules, and agreed to notify each other in advance in case we have any issue and were not able to attend the calls.
[Expana] How have your skills or confidence changed since the beginning of the mentorship relationship?
[Vivian Sales] Jessica was a mentee that always taught me something new. Her energy and dedication were something beautiful to see. As a mentor I relied on Jessica’s results to check if I was fulfilling my responsibility to her and myself. In each session, Jessica would do something new to challenge my thinking while I aimed to encourage her to explore new perspectives and take bold action. It was an enriching exchange of growth and encouragement.
[Expana] Were there any turning points or breakthroughs in the mentorship journey? Is there a particular moment that stands out as especially meaningful for either of you?
[Jessica Jiménez] A personal and meaningful moment for me was when I talked with my plant manager, Paul, about my experience within WFA mentorship program. He was really eager to learn more about how the program works, so I asked Vivian if it was possible to invite him to one of our meetings, and she kindly accepted. The three of us, had an enriching call, sharing our points of view about women in the agribusiness, and some personal and professional experiences.
[Vivian Sales] After that, Paul asked me if I could have the same dialogue with other women in Alltech to encourage them to join the next mentoring program. Obviously, I accepted, and it was my second proudest moment working with Jessica. The session was with 10 or more people, they were very curious about the program, about the goals, the experiences. The energy was grateful and friendly.
In that moment, I felt confident that we were expanding our impact, by reaching more people, inspiring engagement, and contributing to a more diverse and inclusive environment.
[Expana] What impact has this process had on your personal or professional life?
[Vivian Sales] WFA was a gift to me. I learned a lot with my mentee, I felt very grateful to her dedication and achievements, and I know she is going to do her best to support Alltech and colleagues to think differently, challenge the barriers and create real change when necessary.
[Jessica Jiménez] Mentoring has been a journey of self-discovery; I found I have leadership skills I never knew about and patience to listen carefully for better communication with my team.
[Expana] What is your relationship like now following the program?
[Jessica Jiménez] When the program finished, we shared contact information, and I really appreciated that Vivian said she will be there anytime I need help, I was paired with an amazing mentor.
[Vivian Sales] I always told Jessica and even Paul, they are very welcome here in Brazil and the moment I decide to visit Mexico I plan to meet them both personally.
[Expana] What have you learned about yourself through this mentorship?
[Jessica Jiménez] Being part of this program like any relationship was challenging, but this experience pushed me to work on skills I didn’t realize I needed and discover others I didn’t know I had. I also learned every one of us is inspiring other women to challenge their capabilities.
[Vivian Sales] Thanks WFA for offering this connection around the world, with very capable women, thirsty for change and a better world in the future.
If you’re looking to grow, give back, or connect with like-minded professionals across the world in the food and agriculture industry, consider becoming a part of the WFA Mentorship Program in partnership with Alltech. In this program each match is thoughtfully made to ensure a balanced, mutually rewarding experience for both mentor and mentee.
Whether you become a mentor or a mentee, you’ll be joining a global network of passionate individuals working together to shape a more inclusive future.
Find out more and how to apply here.
