By: Joyce Longfield, R&D – Principal of HPP Applications, Good Foods Group, LLC

What is a piece of advice you’d offer a woman entering this industry?
From the beginning I was fortunate enough to have male role models who treated me as their equals and never viewed me as inferior or less than them. That gave me great confidence in my capabilities because it was my capabilities which set me apart from them. They valued me because I brought knowledge to the table which complimented their knowledge and wasn’t a threat to them. As years went on and I would have encounters with people who offered similar knowledge, I would utilize the encounter as an opportunity to engage in shared experiences or learn new things from them. As much of an expert we may be in our field we do not know everything and knowledge is power...therefore that makes education powerful. So my advice is never see your competition as competition but as an opportunity to learn more. Be confident in your own capabilities and don’t be distracted by what may seem like a threat. It is only a threat if you let it be one.

What do you enjoy most about your role?
I love teaching. I view my role as an opportunity to teach people every day. This could be a colleague through discussions or a consumer through the products I have created. As a consumer myself, I like to think of myself as an ‘informed consumer’. I like to educate myself on my purchases so I like to create products with the intention to educate the consumer about why I selected the ingredients within it. This benefits the consumer both from a health perspective and knowledge to share with others.

How do you chose a mentor, and find opportunities to network more/better?
VERY important! There needs to be an emphasis on mentorship. It is lost today. Technology has made everyone believe we do not need each other because we have an electronic device or social media to rely on. Just as companies have boards for guidance, there should be mentorship groups available for people.

What qualities that tend to come naturally to women do you think translate well into leadership qualities and/or beneficial qualities to have in this industry?
Multitasking. Women’s capability to multitask is highly advantageous over males. The only downside to this is that often when they take on too much there tends to be a breaking point and often it comes out emotionally. Men are not thought of as ‘emotional’ whereas women are stereotyped as such and I believe this is because women tend to take on too many tasks and feel overwhelmed. I learned to check my emotions at the door. I never show a glimmer of vulnerability with my male colleagues because I never want them to stereotype me.

How do you feel being part of a (for now) male-dominated industry? Any advice for leading/negotiating in a male-dominated room?
Do not emasculate your male colleagues. It is the fastest way to lose their respect. Rather earn their respect (male or female) through your knowledge and confidence. Come prepared. Come with useful knowledge that will drive a meaningful discussion. Be approachable and invite a dialog to demonstrate that you both have important information which needs to be present at the meeting.

Is there anything, big or small, that you think is missing from the industry, or could be improved upon?
It would be great to engage with women freshly coming out of college and university, even high school, to share advice on entering the manufacturing industry.