GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, March 8, 2022 — Today is International Women’s Day and we’re highlighting some of the many women at Sucafina who are leading the way in innovation, and helping build a more equal world through their positive impacts on our industry. We asked them to tell us about their role and how they, and other women, are forging innovation through technology in the coffee industry. Here’s what they said.
Mette-Marie Hansen - Managing Director, Kenyacof
"I am the country manager for Sucafina in Kenya. I love my job, and it has enabled me to take on projects that are innovative and visionary; for example, writing a successful project proposal on how we are going to collect soil data to support thousands of farmers in restoring soil health and increasing their productivity, or incorporating new products in our service delivery model like weather index insurance.
Women belong in innovation and technology; more diversity reduces unconscious bias and creates a culture that women want to be a part of. We need to inspire and empower the next generation of female role models to become the innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs Sucafina needs in the future."
Grace Aoun – Senior HR Officer, Sucafina Lebanon
"I am part of the HR team based in Lebanon supporting the group in HR-related activities. Lately, my focus has been on taking this to the next level by upgrading our HR software into SAP Success Factors. In this new system, all HR processes such as onboarding and hiring, and managing employee data, leave, compensation, and performance will be on one platform, which will facilitate and increase efficiency in internal communications. This transformation will help by combining data from different modules, for better analysis. Nowadays, technology is embedded in all business functions and it is crucial to always be a step ahead to ensure business continuity and maintain efficiency in daily operations."
Zahraa Assaad – Junior Machine Learning Specialist, CCL, United Kingdom
"I’m a machine learning specialist in the quantitative trading team based in London. At Sucafina, I utilize my engineering knowledge in machine learning and artificial intelligence and my trading skills to perform data analysis and predictive analysis for the futures market.
We are able to keep an eye on numerous factors affecting commodities, and specifically the coffee market, by continuously performing fundamental analysis, technical analysis, positioning, and macroeconomic analysis. Nevertheless, I explore the physical trading business working side by side with our team at Complete Coffee Limited. On top of that, I get the chance to kick off several new projects in data architecture and automation solutions. All these opportunities open wide doors to build new smart solutions at Sucafina as we work towards a more innovative coffee industry!"
Monica Krezias – Logistics Coordinator, Sucafina Brasil
"One of my main roles in the logistics department is to keep the team focused and motivated so that each one of them delivers the best performance they can. I give them the chance to express themselves and think outside box, innovating with every single step in terms of systems or actions and bringing new ideas to make our workflow leaner and more agile. This makes a big contribution to the Sucafina group, as we tend to be pioneers and to embrace all kinds of innovations."
Phuong Thao – Treasury Team Leader, Sucafina SA
"My role involves consolidating other entities' positions and preparing the global position, which is crucial for banks to validate financing lines and for management to make decisions to maintain operations.
Throughout history, so many amazing women have made remarkable contributions to the world, so I believe innovation and technology in our industry can be driven forward by both women and men. Everyone has their own strengths, and the harder something is, the sweeter the success we achieve. Just keep moving forward, believe in yourself, and know your values. There is nothing women can't do!"
Raphaelle Hemmerlin - Head of Logistics & Operational Efficiency, Sucafina SA
"I’m Head of Logistics & Operational Efficiency and I chair Sucafina’s Innovation Committee. For the last 5 years, I have supported pilots to discover digital tools in the shipping area and successfully implemented Cargoo across Sucafina’s organization. It directly impacted not only our internal processes but also our suppliers’ and customers’ approach to the shipping instructions and tracking process.
I don’t envisage innovation as a men’s or women’s world; however, I encourage more of our women employees to have the courage to share their ideas, take risks, and explore more. It’s more about self-confidence building than anything. We can all make it happen and the more angles and views, the better the results."
Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias!