In this file:
· How Cargill IT is helping to solve the world's food problems
· Cargill meat plant in Guelph returns to full operations following COVID-19 outbreak
How Cargill IT is helping to solve the world's food problems
CIO Justin Kershaw describes what he looks for in his senior leaders and how the $114 billion agriculture company uses data from low-Earth orbit satellites and distributed ledger technology to bring transparency to the food supply chain.
By Martha Heller, Columnist, CIO
Jan 6, 2021
Heller is CEO of Heller Search Associates
Justin Kershaw held his first CIO position nearly 25 years ago, at W.L. Gore, a specialty materials manufacturer, currently with $3.7 billion in revenue. Later, he spent six years as a divisional CIO at Eaton before joining Cargill as CIO of the food ingredients business, and global IT operations leader. He ascended to his role as Corporate Vice President and CIO in 2015.
Based on revenue ($114 billion), Cargill is the largest privately held corporation in the U.S. If it were a public company, Cargill would rank number 25 on the 2020 Fortune 500 list, just above Bank of America and right below Fannie Mae. While Cargill, along with other large food producers, has been the subject of criticism related to worker safety and coronavirus outbreaks at several of its meat processing facilities in the U.S and Canada, the company is laser focused on using technology to improve global sustainability and reduce food production problems.
During a recent Zoom call with Kershaw, we discussed IT’s role in innovation, change management, and product engineering. We also discussed the qualities that Kershaw looks for in his senior team. What follows is an edited version of our interview.
Martha Heller: How do you describe your role as CIO of Cargill? ...
What are some examples of recent innovative technologies that have had a significant impact on the business? ...
How do you decide, organizationally, where IT stops and product engineering starts? ...
If you were going to hire your successor, what are the leadership skills you would look for? ...
What advice do you have for tomorrow’s CIOs? ...
more
https://www.cio.com/article/3602029/how-cargill-it-is-helping-to-solve-the-worlds-food-problems.html
Cargill meat plant in Guelph returns to full operations following COVID-19 outbreak
New safety measures have been implemented at the plant
CBC News (Canada)
Jan 06, 2021
The Cargill meat processing plant in Guelph is set to return to full operations this week.
It was shutdown between Dec. 16 and Dec. 29 following a COVID-19 outbreak that saw 154 positive cases.
Most people have recovered and are back to work, according to Tim Deelstra, spokesperson for United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 175 and 633.
"We want to make sure that there are best outcomes on this, so we're just looking at it from day-to-day with the employer to try and build it back to capacity. We're looking at how it's going as the days progress. It's expected by Wednesday to Thursday, the plant should be back up to full production," he said.
There are about 800 Cargill employees in Guelph that help supply 20 per cent of Canadian beef production.
New safety measures
The company ramped up safety measures to ensure physical distancing and prevent spread of the virus.
Deelstra said the company...
more
