June 7, 2006

 

ADM's CEO thrives in male-dominated fields

 

 

Working in male-dominated fields has never posed much of a problem for ADM's new CEO Patricia Woertz.

 

The Penn State graduate was one of two women among 200 recruits who joined Ernst and Young in the 1970s, before moving on to energy company Gulf Oil.

 

Having risen through the ranks in the industry, she moved on to Chevron in 1987.

 

By the time Woertz retired from Chevron earlier this year at 53, she was the fourth top executive of the company, in charge of US$100 billion of business a year.

 

This May, she took on the top spot in ADM, making it the largest public company in America headed by a woman. This would put her in charge of a more modest US$36 billion in sales, but an all-important post nonetheless.

 

ADM uses about one-third of all corn, wheat and soy processed in the United States.

 

Woertz said being a woman meant that she could bring a different perspective to the giant agricultural processing business traditionally run by men.

 

While pointing out that difference, she hoped gender issues, like racial issues, would cease to be a focal point in the corporate world and said she hoped she would be judged on her performance.

 

Woertz said that as an executive, she has developed skills through the years that would have applied to both male and female executives. 

 

She further added that she has kept herself alert for opportunities to accept challenges and responsibility, adding that the oil business, being global in nature, provided her with bountiful opportunities.

 

Her adeptness at seeking out opportunities and her background in the oil industry would serve her well in the current climate of developing ethanol for energy uses.

 

ADM is currently the largest maker of ethanol in the US.