Cargill Cultivates Tomorrow's Women Leaders

Cargill Nurtures Future Women Leaders Cargill's "Future Women Leaders Program," launched in 2021 in partnership with Turkish Education Foundation (TEV), has reached approximately 200 university students across Turkey. According to a statement from the company, the award-winning program launched by Cargill in partnership with TEV to develop future women leaders is entering its fourth year with doubled capacity. The program was initiated based on the importance of education in enabling women's equal participation in their communities alongside men and their contribution to human development. Cargill works toward making gender equality a lasting value for stronger futures both globally and in Turkey, in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals 2030 for gender equality and women's empowerment. The program, whose 2023 registrations opened shortly before, has already welcomed 63 university students. In the new cycle, supported by Cargill's global fund and doubling the number of students over the next 3 years, the program will have supported approximately 600 prospective future women leaders by 2027. Since 2021, approximately 200 students from 30 different universities in 16 provinces across Turkey have benefited from scholarships. According to TEV Impact Analysis, scholarship graduates from the program are 10 times more likely to pursue higher education. The percentage of program graduates who have entered working life and taken their first steps toward becoming future women leaders stands at 60 percent. The program aims to equip students with competencies needed for leadership in professional life by offering scholarships, internships, mentoring, on-site training at production facilities, book support, and access to an online comprehensive health platform. Through mentoring, students meet with Cargill's senior executives, directors, and managers in various positions, gain confidence, and find opportunities to develop themselves through different perspectives and practices.

'We are taking concrete steps both at Cargill and at societal level'

Cargill Food Turkey, Middle East and Africa Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Murat Tarakçıoğlu said the program is part of Cargill's diversity, equality and inclusion strategy aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Tarakçıoğlu stated, 'We are working to make gender equality a lasting value for a stronger future in the world and in Turkey. With this vision, we are taking concrete steps both at Cargill and at societal level, and we are aware of the important role education plays in gender equality and human development. The Future Women Leaders Program is one of the finest examples of this effort. Our primary objective is to equip our scholarship recipients with the competencies that will enable them to lead their sectors in the best way possible, and to help them discover their potential and passion.' he said.

TEV General Director Banu Taşkın emphasized that the program serves as an example to many institutions and made the following remarks on the matter:

'As Turkish Education Foundation, we emphasize that women's empowerment begins with education, and we have diligently continued our work on the basis of equal opportunity for 56 years. The Future Women Leaders Program contributes to the personal and professional development of future women leaders through the multifaceted support it provides to our students. We express our gratitude to our valued education partner Cargill, who shines a light on the future of young women, on behalf of the students we have provided with equal opportunity for life participation.'

Buse Avcı, who participates in the program and is interning at Cargill, pointed to the company's vision on women leaders.

Avcı said, 'Ten opportunities come our way in life, we make the most of five of them, and one takes us very far. As someone experiencing firsthand such an impactful opportunity for new generations, I consider myself very fortunate. I will speak of this proudly in every phase of my life. I hope the scope of all these initiatives expands further and reaches more young people.' she shared her views. According to the statement, Cargill has also won 6 awards to date, 4 of them international, and is conscious of the importance of education for achieving human development, serving as a supporting force in the educational journeys of successful students from primary school to university. The company provides support to various schools in Bursa, Balıkesir, İzmit and Sakarya where it operates, including equipment donations, maintenance and repairs, and environmental improvements.   Source