Pioneering Women – In the Poultry Industry
In this issue of Poultry Creations magazine, we extend a warm welcome to Dr. Chandani Parihar, Director-Marketing at Nutreco India, under the compelling theme of “Pioneering Women in the Poultry Industry.”
Dr. Chandani Parihar, a veterinary graduate from G.B. Pant University, Pantnagar, and a Master’s Graduate in Agri-Business Management from MANAGE, Hyderabad, embodies a remarkable blend of academic prowess and professional acumen. With experience gained from the Big Four and a career focussed on strategic marketing in animal and aqua nutrition, Dr. Chandani stands as a trailblazing figure in the animal industry. Responsible for brands like Trouw Nutrition and Skretting, she contributes significantly to strategic initiatives, including Mergers & Acquisitions and investments in Indian startups. Her journey reflects resilience, expertise, and an unwavering visionary spirit. This exclusive interview promises insights into her experiences, challenges, and serves as a source of inspiration, highlighting the pivotal role of women in driving the dynamic evolution of the animal protein sector.”
Poultry Creations: As a pioneering woman in the animal sector, what pivotal experiences or milestones shaped your journey, and how have these experiences influenced your approach and outlook within the industry?
Dr. Chandani: While I would not say pioneering woman, but yes there were few representations of diversity in the industry compared to when I had joined. What shaped my career is I believe being trusted with important decision making, giving the freedom to think out of box and act individually. This helped me to quickly learn and grow in the field and for that matter is important for any employee in shaping their career path and gaining new experiences. I am glad about the opportunity that I had with Nutreco about 6 years back when we were building ourselves in the South Asian market. However, from early on in my career I have had the fortune to interact with customers and various stakeholders because of which it became easier to understand market conditions, customer requirements and how these insights can be utilised for bringing in solutions ensuring that I am able to contribute to the organisations.
Poultry Creations: Within the animal industry, particularly in a male-dominated sector like poultry, have there been significant challenges you faced as a woman? Looking back on your early days in this industry, were there specific instances where you encountered hurdles, and did you receive support or motivation from individuals within the industry to navigate through those challenges?
Dr. Chandani: The sector is male-dominated but as such I had not faced any gender specific challenges, at the end of the day we are all employees of our respective organisation fulfilling our respective duties. There were certainly hurdles at the start of the career as I was learning about business, industry and ways to contribute. However, a healthy work environment and supportive colleagues made it easier. I have been lucky to have good mentors. Their experience in multiple industries, leadership style to challenge and motivate while continuously supporting at the back end has been a critical building factor. The industry is still very niche and talent/capacity building remains a challenge as that leads to saturation of ideas. With my current responsibilities, I also try to bring in more diversity with female candidates and candidates from other industry.
Poultry Creations: Marketing is a challenging field. How do you navigate through these challenges and achieve success in this area? Additionally, could you share which specific strategies or approaches have proven effective for achieving success in marketing?
Dr. Chandani: I will not say marketing is challenging but it is dynamic. It requires one to be on top of the facts, data and current market scenario to implement the right thing at the right place in right time. My mantra to achieving success in marketing is knowing every aspect of your market & customers. Having an Omni channel presence is what really boosted our brand presence. Implementing digital marketing, which was fairly new when I had started, and being consistent with our efforts paid off.
Poultry Creations: How do you efficiently balance and execute marketing strategies for two diverse brands, such as Nutreco’s Animal Nutrition – Trouw Nutrition and Aqua Nutrition – Skretting, concurrently operating within the complex landscape of the Indian market?
Dr. Chandani: I would say that it is quite a daunting task given that both B2B and B2F marketing channels are very different and each species has their own sets of challenges. It does require you to understand the markets well, but I always say that basics of marketing never change, implementation strategies can be tweaked as per the market requirement and that is how we try to balance between the brands. The objective remains to have similar voice while maintain the integrity of individual brands. We really want to emphasize to the Indian audience about Nutreco’s global presence, our more than 125 years of history supporting farmers, feed millers and other stakeholders while bringing in solutions via the two leading global brands – Trouw Nutrition and Skretting.
Poultry Creations: Considering the fast-paced evolution of technology and sustainability demands, how do you envision the role of women evolving in the animal industry over the next decade?
Dr. Chandani: As an organisation we are extremely conscious of the changing technology scenario and evolving sustainability demands. Digital innovations – whether it is bringing innovative services or investing into IoT start-ups – forms a core focus criteria. Similarly in terms of sustainability we have defined our Sustainability Roadmap in alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In fact, Skretting was recently named as Climate Leaders 2023 by PwC. When it comes to the contribution of women in these evolving scenarios, I believe they play a significant role given that women are traditionally known for being multi-taskers and communicators. Communicating to multiple stakeholders about the importance of implementing the changes is going to be the first critical step. Women are also significantly stepping up in the space of research and innovation; more than 30% of our researchers globally are females. Hence, their contribution and role is extremely important in the coming years.
Poultry Creations: How do you perceive the trajectory of industry growth within the animal sector, especially in the context of advancements in technology and evolving consumer demands?
Dr. Chandani: Technological advancements are impacting all facets of our life and the same is the case for the livestock industry as well. We are seeing more and more development when it comes to Internet of Things (IoT) platforms across the value chain. The developments are playing a crucial role in improving and maintaining quality of produce, improving efficiency in the production system and enhancing farm management. Technological advancements are also directly related to the evolving consumer demands and behavior. We see more Direct to Consumer (DTC) offerings that focus on tags like antibiotic free, mycotoxin free, safe to consume. This is all evolving the landscape for feed-to-food safety and antimicrobial resistance programmes.
Poultry Creations: How do you think fostering a collaborative environment and encouraging teamwork contributes to achieving organizational goals and enhancing productivity within a team?
Dr. Chandani: Collaborative environment and teamwork are extremely crucial in achieving organizational goals. The aim is to avoid silo working as that leads to lack of communication, delays and in worst case scenario business losses. For a holistic learning environment, communicating with multiple stakeholders and fostering teamwork helps to improve efficiencies, bring in new ideas and lead to more healthy work environment for engaged employees. We often run campaigns and projects, switching the roles of project leader, ideation, and implementer so that every employee understands the requirement and challenges of each role, promoting more inclusive culture.
Poultry Creations: What specific marketing strategies and promotional initiatives should be adopted within the poultry industry to effectively address the challenge of selling chicken and eggs below their production costs, aiming for beneficial outcomes for both farmers and consumers?
Dr. Chandani: Collaborative working among the industry key player to increase the awareness and demand is the first step. NECC ran a very successful campaign to raise awareness about eggs. Covid played a part in boosting the importance of animal protein. Even so, there are significant steps that need to be taken to bust common myths related to animal protein consumption and production.
Poultry Creations: Beyond your professional endeavors, what are some personal hobbies or interests that you indulge in, and how do you find a balance between these pursuits and your impactful career in the poultry industry?
Dr. Chandani: Beyond work, I am a big-time foodie and a fitness enthusiast. I do like to explore new things. I am lucky in that my work takes me around the globe and lets me pursue my love for food and my hustle to stay fit lets me excel at my workplace.
Poultry Creations: What advice or message would you convey to aspiring women entrepreneurs looking to venture into this industry, drawing from your own experiences and success as a woman in the animal industry?
Dr. Chandani: For the young women entrepreneurs looking to venture in animal nutrition industry, I will recommend to be fearless and start by understanding the industry from the grass root level. Travel and interact with stakeholders as much as possible, especially in your formative years.
Poultry Creations: How do you believe Poultry Creations could elevate its content or quality to better serve its readership? What suggestions or recommendations would you propose to enhance the magazine’s overall appeal and value within the industry?
Dr. Chandani: Poultry Creation offers a wide range of content which gives your readers a wholesome experience. I can suggest keeping on exploring new topics of interest, focus on innovations & technological advancements taking place around the globe. Would also recommend featuring start-ups in the industry which are creating a difference. All the best and do keep up the good work!
