Building Risk-Ready Leaders for the Future of Food and Agribusiness

With more than 28 years of leadership experience within the Aboitiz Group, Annacel Natividad has built a distinguished career spanning finance, operations, enterprise risk management, sustainability, and regulatory compliance. She has held senior leadership roles across the Group's Shipping and Transport and Food businesses, including serving as Chief Financial Officer, before assuming enterprise-wide risk leadership as Chief Risk Officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures. With Aboitiz Foods' expansion into Asia, she became CFO of Pilmico Foods, and she currently leads the organization's enterprise risk, sustainability, regulatory compliance, insurance and risk financing, business continuity, and resilience agenda, embedding risk-informed decision-making and long-term value creation across diverse markets.

A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a Master of Business Administration, Annacel has completed executive education programs at INSEAD and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is also a certified Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) professional, holding internationally recognized certifications from the United States and Australia.

Beyond her corporate responsibilities, Annacel serves as President and Chairperson of the Pan-Asia Risk and Insurance Management Association (PARIMA), the region's leading professional organization for risk managers. In this capacity, she champions the advancement of enterprise risk management, governance, and organizational resilience, while fostering collaboration and capability-building across the Asia-Pacific risk community.

Her leadership and contributions to the profession have earned her numerous distinctions, including the Don Ramon Aboitiz Award for Excellence and the prestigious Corporate Risk Manager of the Year award from Asia Insurance Magazine.

In an interaction with M R Yuvatha, Editor, Asia Education Review, Natividad shares insights from her perspective as a senior food and agribusiness executive, exploring the skills, mindsets, and pathways needed to build risk-ready leaders, and the structural work still required to bring more women into senior finance and risk roles.

Food and agribusiness sit at the intersection of some of the world's most volatile forces today, climate change, geopolitical disruption, commodity price swings, biosecurity threats, shifting regulation, and fast-evolving consumer expectations. A single drought thousands of miles away can ripple through crop yields, supply chains, pricing, and ultimately a company's bottom line. As these pressures compound, the industry is rethinking what it actually takes to lead through uncertainty, and increasingly, the answer points beyond technical expertise alone toward professionals who can connect disciplines, read systems, and make sound decisions with incomplete information.

That shift has significant implications for how the next generation of talent is trained. Risk management and sustainability, long taught and practiced as separate functions, are converging into a single strategic capability that businesses cannot afford to treat as a compliance afterthought. Educational institutions, industry players, and professional associations are being called on to close the gap between classroom frameworks and real-world judgment.

Skills and Foundations for a Career in Food and Agribusiness Risk

Young people entering the field are often advised not to overthink the search for a 'perfect' degree. Career paths that begin in accounting, move through finance, and eventually lead into enterprise risk management are not unusual, and that kind of progression can become a genuine strength, offering a deeper understanding of how businesses create value before learning how to protect and sustain it.

A strong foundation in disciplines such as accounting, finance, engineering, agriculture, environmental science, economics, or supply chain management remains highly relevant for students today. However, technical expertise alone is no longer enough. The future will require professionals who can connect disciplines rather than operate in silos. In food and agribusiness, climate change, geopolitical shifts, commodity volatility, biosecurity, food safety, regulation, consumer expectations, and technology are increasingly interconnected. A drought, for example, can reduce crop yields, drive commodity prices higher, disrupt food supply chains, affect affordability, and ultimately influence business performance. Understanding those connections is what will distinguish future leaders.

From a finance-rooted perspective, risk management is fundamentally about making better business decisions. Every investment, expansion, or strategic initiative carries both opportunities and uncertainties, and the role of risk management is not simply to identify what could go wrong, but to help organizations make informed decisions and move forward with confidence.

Beyond technical knowledge, young professionals should develop a systems mindset: learning to see the bigger picture, building data and communication skills, staying curious, and becoming comfortable making thoughtful decisions amid uncertainty. Those qualities will matter just as much as academic credentials over the next decade.

Also Read: Aboitiz Foundation, Fulbright Launch STEM Scholarships in the U.S.

The Gap Between Classroom Learning and Industry Reality

One of the biggest gaps in current education is that risk management and sustainability are still often taught as separate disciplines. Risk is primarily associated with compliance or insurance, while sustainability is viewed largely through an environmental lens. In reality, the two are deeply integrated and increasingly central to business strategy.

In food and agribusiness, decisions must balance growth, affordability, food security, environmental stewardship, operational resilience, and regulatory expectations. Climate change, for example, is not simply an ESG issue; it can affect crop production, supply chains, commodity prices, customer demand, and ultimately business performance. Those connections are not always reflected in traditional classroom learning.

Another gap is that education understandably focuses on frameworks and theory, while industry requires judgment and decision-making. In the real world, leaders rarely have complete information or one correct answer; more often, they navigate competing priorities and evolving risks. Risk management, from this vantage point, is not about producing the best risk register; it is about helping leadership teams make better strategic decisions. Educational programs can help bridge this gap through more real-world case studies, simulations, cross-functional projects, and greater engagement with industry practitioners. Students should learn not only how to identify risks, but also how to translate those insights into better decisions and long-term value.

Education should not end at graduation. Continuous learning has become a career requirement, and the strongest talent pipelines are built when universities, businesses, and professional associations work together to create opportunities for lifelong learning.

Building Stronger Talent Pipelines

Building stronger talent pipelines for finance, risk, and sustainability in agribusiness requires moving beyond traditional internships toward genuine, long-term partnerships between industry and educational institutions. Companies can contribute by sharing real-world challenges, providing industry exposure, and creating opportunities for students to apply what they learn.

At Aboitiz Foods, the value of these partnerships is evident firsthand. The company works with academic and educational institutions to develop future talent and strengthen communities. Through a partnership with Pampanga State Agricultural University, for example, Aboitiz Foods supports future agricultural professionals with scholarships, leadership development, internships, and industry exposure. The company also partnered with Infinity Vocational Training School and TESDA to provide hands-on meat skills training at Pilmico's Tarlac Meatmasters facility, helping bridge classroom learning with the practical skills industry requires.

Beyond talent development, the academe is also an important partner in building resilient communities. Through the Adopt-A-City Program in Iligan City, Aboitiz Foods works with Mindanao State University Iligan Institute of Technology and other stakeholders to bring academic expertise and community engagement into efforts to strengthen disaster and climate resilience.

Professional associations play an important role as well. Through PARIMA, there is a consistent need for professionals who can connect finance, technology, sustainability, operations, and strategy and think across disciplines rather than within functional boundaries. Education should not end at graduation. Continuous learning has become a career requirement, and the strongest talent pipelines are built when universities, businesses, and professional associations work together to create opportunities for lifelong learning.

Emerging Career Paths in Agribusiness

Many people still associate agribusiness primarily with farming or food production. In reality, it has become a highly dynamic and multidisciplinary industry. Demand is growing for professionals in risk management, sustainability, supply chain resilience, food safety, technology, data analytics, and regulatory compliance. As food systems become more interconnected and technology-driven, companies increasingly need people who can combine technical expertise with commercial understanding.

One area expected to grow significantly is climate and resilience. Organizations need people who can assess physical climate risks, understand potential supply chain disruptions, and develop adaptation strategies.

Careers themselves are also becoming less linear. Journeys that move from accounting to finance, then into operations, and eventually into enterprise risk management, with each role building on the previous one and expanding perspective, are increasingly the norm rather than the exception. The future belongs to professionals who remain curious, embrace change, and continuously develop new capabilities rather than limiting themselves to a single specialization.

Also Read: Aboitiz Foundation Partners with LMP, TESDA for Community Impact

Building Credibility Early in a Career

The first piece of advice for young professionals is to build depth before chasing titles. Mastering a core discipline comes first. Having a strong foundation in finance or accounting teaches how businesses create value. From there, understanding operations and supply chains, and spending time with people on the ground, matter greatly. The best risk professionals understand the business before they advise the business.

Continuous learning is equally important: pursuing relevant professional certifications, staying informed about emerging risks, and building capabilities in areas such as analytics and technology. The business landscape changes quickly, so learning cannot stop once formal education ends.

At the same time, stepping outside a comfort zone matters. Some of the greatest career learnings come from moving across functions and industries, with each transition broadening perspective and preparing professionals for opportunities that might not otherwise have emerged. 

Building relationships is essential too: finding mentors who challenge thinking, and seeking sponsors and leaders who advocate for growth and create opportunities to stretch. Credibility is not built by titles; it is built by consistently delivering value, remaining curious, and earning people's trust, one decision at a time.

Barriers Facing Women in Finance and Risk Management

Significant progress has been made, but more work remains. Finance and risk management, particularly at senior levels, have historically been male-dominated, and women have often had to work harder to establish credibility, build visibility, and access sponsorship opportunities.

Within organizations such as the Aboitiz Group, being surrounded by remarkable women leaders who become not only mentors but also trusted friends can make a significant difference, challenging peers and encouraging bigger responsibilities and the confidence to step outside a comfort zone. A network of women who genuinely want to see one another succeed can make a tremendous difference in a leadership journey.

Senior leaders, both women and men, who believe in that potential and open doors, reinforce the idea that advancing women in leadership is not just a women's agenda; it requires organizations to intentionally develop and sponsor talent.

Today, the conversation is shifting from whether women belong in leadership to how organizations can help them succeed. Younger women having more visible role models is encouraging, but representation alone is not enough. It needs to be supported by meaningful mentorship, sponsorship, and opportunities to lead and demonstrate capability. Women should also believe in their own readiness; growth rarely happens when one feels completely ready, and often happens when willing to take on challenges that stretch one's capabilities. The hope across the industry is that today's leaders continue paying that support forward mentoring, sponsoring, and opening doors for the next generation.

Also Read: Aboitiz Foods, DA Launch Digital Program to Modernize Farming

Structured Pathways and Mentorship for Aspiring Women Leaders

A useful distinction lies between mentorship and sponsorship. A mentor provides guidance and advice; a sponsor goes a step further and uses their credibility to advocate for someone when opportunities arise.

Industry leaders often point to long-standing relationships, sometimes spanning nearly two decades, with a leader who served as both mentor and sponsor, challenging them, pushing them beyond comfort zones, and opening doors that allowed growth. That kind of experience reinforces the belief that organizations should not leave career development to chance; they should build it intentionally, through structured leadership development programs, cross-functional and international exposure, assignment to high-impact strategic projects, and succession plans that build a strong, diverse leadership pipeline.

Most importantly, organizations should foster cultures where different leadership styles are valued, since effective leadership does not come in a single template, and people should have room to lead in ways authentic to them.

A Small Advice for the Upcoming Women Leaders!

For aspiring women leaders, the advice is simple, don't wait until feeling 100 percent ready before saying yes to new opportunities. Some of the most rewarding chapters of a career begin with roles never done before. Leadership is not about having all the answers; it is about having the courage to keep learning, make thoughtful decisions, and help others succeed along the way.