CARGILL, INCORPORATED INTERNATIONAL ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR

HISTORY

Cargill was founded in 1865 by William W. Cargill when he bought a grain flat house in Conover, Iowa. A year
later William was joined by his brother, Sam, forming W.W. Cargill and Brother. Together, they built grain flat
houses and opened a lumberyard. In 1875, Cargill moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and brother, James, joined
the family business. The city of La Crosse was strategically located at the junction of the Milwaukee
Road railroad and the Southern Minnesota Division.

Sam Cargill left La Crosse in 1887 and moved to Minneapolis to manage the office there, which was identified
as an important emerging grain center. Three years later, the Minneapolis operation incorporated under Cargill
Elevator Co., years after that the La Crosse operation was incorporated under W.W. Cargill Company of La
Crosse, Wisconsin. In 1898, John H. MacMillan, Sr., and his brother, Daniel, began working for W.W. Cargill. John
MacMillan then married William Cargill’s eldest daughter, Edna.

1865-1940s
The Early Years
From a small grain trade to a global presence, the strides we’ve made involve many markets,
countries, people and businesses. Even so, we believe our best chapter is yet to come.

1865
William Wallace (W. W.) Cargill becomes the proprietor of a grain warehouse in Conover, Iowa, at the end of
the McGregor & Western Railroad line.

1870
Founder W. W. Cargill establishes his headquarters in Albert Lea, Minnesota, taking advantage of the
Southern Minnesota Railroad’s expansion.

1880
After moving his operations to La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1875, W. W. Cargill expands his business beyond grain,
handling commodities like coal, flour, feed, lumber and seeds, as well as investing in railroads, land, water
irrigation and farms.

1885
W. W. Cargill and his two brothers own or control over 100 grain storage structures across Minnesota and the
Dakotas, amounting to a total grain capacity of over 1.6 million bushels.

1895
Edna Clara, W. W. Cargill’s daughter, marries childhood neighbor John MacMillan in La Crosse, Wisconsin,
formally joining the two families. Their first son, John MacMillan, Jr., is born in December.
1912
Following W. W. Cargill’s passing in 1909, John MacMillan, Sr., assumes leadership of his late father-in-law’s
company. Now located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the company’s operations are consolidated under a new
name: Cargill Elevator Company.

1923
Cargill acquires Taylor & Bournique Company, a grain merchandising firm with offices along the East Coast
and a private wire communication system. Acquiring the new technology gives Cargill a significant competitive
advantage.

1930
Cargill incorporates and assumes its present name. The corporation sets its sights on global expansion,
establishing small offices in Winnipeg, Canada; Rotterdam, Holland; and Buenos Aires, Argentina, which later
closes due to World War II.

1932
Economic conditions prompt Cargill to implement a company-wide pay cut of 20%. Due to his father’s ailing
health, John MacMillan, Jr., becomes general manager of Cargill operations.

1945
After World War II, the company diversifies, growing its feed business with the acquisition of Nutrena Mills.
Cargill also purchases a soybean meal and oilseed processing plant.

1947
With the war behind them, Cargill executives choose to reopen their South American offices. In Argentina, the
company launches its hybrid seed business.

1950s-1980s
Global expansion

1953
To conduct business in Europe, Cargill establishes a separate company known as TRADAX. To explore similar
expansion into Asian markets, the company acquires Kerr Gifford, a US grain dealer based on the Pacific Coast.
1955
Cargill scientist Julius Hendel introduces scientific methods into the company’s businesses, leading to the
development of a centralized Research Department. At the division’s Research Farm, electronic computing
revolutionizes feed development
1960
Following the death of John MacMillan, Jr., the family’s next generation commits to appointing the best
possible leadership. Erwin Kelm becomes the first president appointed outside the Cargill and MacMillan
families.
1977
Whitney MacMillan becomes CEO of Cargill, ultimately overseeing continued global growth, increased public
interaction, the company’s initial steps into the developing world, and the creation of its formal statement of
conduct.

1988
Cargill’s portfolio of products and services expands significantly. Alongside grain, feed, seeds, oilseeds and
corn milling, businesses include chemicals, cocoa, coffee, cotton, eggs, fertilizer, financial services, flour,
juices, malt, meat, molasses, peanuts, petroleum, pork, poultry, rubber, salt, steel, turkey and wool.

1990s-present
New opportunities

1999
Cargill establishes an official Strategic Intent and revises its company architecture, reorganizing its traditional
divisions into 102 business units focused on its customers, innovation and performance.

2003
For the first time in history, Cargill’s earnings surpass US $1 billion.

2008
Cargill introduces Truvia™ (pronounced Tru-VEE-a) natural sweetener, a great-tasting, zero-calorie sweetener
made from rebiana, the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf.

2011
Cargill significantly grows its global animal nutrition business by acquiring Netherlands-based Provimi, adding
premixes and additives to its portfolio of products.

2015
Cargill celebrates 150 years of helping people and organizations thrive.
https://www.companieshistory.com/cargill/

OFFICERS (Executive Team)

Responsible for the company’s strategic direction, talent development and financial performance, our Executive
Team is dedicated to building a company that nourishes the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.
Although they represent a diverse collection of experience both inside and outside of Cargill, each of them has
a strong track record of leading people to achieve results. Together, they are working to make Cargill the most
trusted partner in food, agriculture and nutrition.
 David MacLennan LeighAnne Baker
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chief Human Resources Officer

Julian Chase David Dines

Chief Transformation Officer Chief Financial Officer
 Ruth Kimmelshue Anna Richo
Business Operations & Supply Chain, Chief General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer,
Sustainability Officer Corporate Secretary

Brian Sikes Marcel Smits

Protein & Salt Chairman of Asia Pacific and
Head of Corporate Strategy
 Joe Stone Gert-Jan van den Akker
Agricultural Supply Chain Corporate Trading Strategy

Frank van Lierde David Webster

Food & Bio-industrial Ingredients Animal Nutrition & Health

https://www.cargill.com/about/executive-team
GENERATIONAL SHIFTS ARE REDEFINING THE FUTURE OF PROTEIN

Sustainability and technology are key ingredients to meeting global demand

September 12, 2016

As changes in global population and consumer preferences shape the food people eat, the world will need to
ensure there is enough access to protein and other dietary essentials. With a global population projected to
reach 9 billion people by 2050, demand for protein from a variety of sources is expected to increase. Along with
population growth, rising incomes in many regions are driving a change to more protein-rich diets. This creates
new opportunities, and challenges, for the industry to keep pace.

“The market is growing for protein from both plant- and animal-based sources,” said Brian Sikes, corporate vice
president of Cargill’s protein group. “That includes traditional sources like beef, poultry, seafood and dairy. And
we’re also exploring emerging trends.”
Fueling those trends is a generational shift in preferences, which is creating a dynamic landscape for the future
of protein.

“Millennials are changing how food is being consumed, just like baby boomers did,” Sikes said. “And this
generational shift is happening globally. As a result, we have to do food differently.”

Three consumer trends in particular are helping redefine the future of protein, said Sikes.

The first is convenience. The fastest growth in food retail is occurring in the direct-to-consumer space with home
delivery options emerging as a new frontier for grocery. At the same time, consumers are interested in having
protein options on the go.

A second trend is choice. Innovation is bringing alternative protein sources into to market in increasingly
palatable ways. Increasingly, plant-based options are competing in the marketplace. Meanwhile, the idea of
meat grown in a lab or protein derived from insects are no longer the stuff of science fiction.

Finally, transparency is high on the minds of consumers.

“People are making choices to protect the planet and ensure the humane treatment of animals,” said Sikes.
“They want to know the story of where their food comes from and feel good about what they eat.” This includes
nutrition, animal welfare, food safety and the overall environmental footprint.

Cargill has a history of leading in all of these areas, advancing new technologies and approaches to sustainability
across the supply chain. To name a few:

 Cargill has limited antibiotic use in turkeys and cattle, removing all growth-promoting antibiotics from
turkeys raised by independent farmers and eliminating 20 percent of shared-class antibiotics from about
1.2 million beef cattle. Cargill is collaborating with cattle ranchers, researchers, universities and allied
partners to identify production practices and viable alternatives that could result in further reduction in
the use of medicines for food animal production.
  It is addressing water scarcity and quality in areas prone to drought. A Cargill beef plant in Friona, Texas,
was awarded the Blue Legacy Award by the Texas Water Foundation for reducing water use by 23 percent
and saving 150 million gallons annually. Treated water from the plant is also provided to local farmers,
reducing their need for water from the stressed Ogallala Aquifer.
 As a founding member of the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply, the company is working to better
understand the impact of various hen housing systems on animal welfare, the environment, worker
health, food safety and food affordability. It continues to provide a variety of responsibly sourced egg
options, including cage-free, to its customers.
 In an industry first, it has piloted a sustainable beef program in Canada in partnership with McDonald’s,
successfully tracking nearly 9,000 head of cattle from birth to beef through a fully verified supply chain,
resulting in the equivalent of 2.4 million beef patties for McDonald’s Canada. The pilot findings will be
used to inform similar programs in collaboration with regional and market-level roundtables around the
world. The company is actively involved with a number of roundtables, including the global, U.S. and
Canadian Roundtables for Sustainable Beef.
As changing consumer preferences create new opportunities for product and supply chain innovation, Cargill
continues to develop new approaches to protein to create a more sustainable, food-secure future.

“We’re committed to do the right thing for the animal, the environment, our customers and consumers,” said
Sikes.

https://www.cargill.com/story/generational-shifts-are-redefining-the-future-of-protein

HOW ETHICS BROUGHT CARGILL, INC. INT’L TO SUCCESS?

Our Global Reach

Because of our worldwide reach, you’re able to develop far -reaching influence and make global
connections with other Cargill employees

While not everyone in Cargill has global responsibilities, we all have global influence because the ideas, products
and services that we share and deliver locally touch lives in every corner of the world. That’s why we foster a
culture that celebrates differences in our employees, suppliers and our communities.

As we continue to expand worldwide, our differences – from our culture and work habits to communication
style and personal preferences – are becoming even more essential to our business strategy. Your unique
talents, perspectives and life experiences are critical to our success.

Ethics and Values

The way we succeed is as important to us as success itself

We all share a caring approach and a sense of respect and responsibility. Our values are a differentiator, are
part of our history and are ingrained in our corporate philosophy.

Guiding Principles
The Cargill Guiding Principles are the foundation of our vision, and articulate our shared ethical values and
expectations. In short, below are the principles that make up our code of conduct.

 We obey the law.

 We conduct our business with integrity.

 We keep accurate and honest records.

 We honor our business obligations.

 We treat people with dignity and respect.

 We protect Cargill’s information, assets and interests.

 We are committed to being a responsible global citizen.

Personal Development
Personal growth through the development of new skills, knowledge and abilities is imperative to
Cargill's success

We will provide you with the tools, opportunities, and a culture that values and supports employee growth.
Making the most of opportunities, however, begins with owning your responsibility for the strength of your
network and development plan.

Our approach

 Our employees are responsible for their own learning, career, and demonstrating the behaviors that
deliver high-performance results.

 Our managers are responsible for providing candid feedback to employees regarding performance and
business and development opportunities, contributing a broader perspective, and playing a supporting
role.

 Our organization – in partnership with employees – provides the trust, freedom and responsibility for
individuals to thrive and flourish.

Development opportunities

Development opportunities range from formal classroom training and e-learning to coaching, on-the-job
training and participation in employee resource groups. Below is an overview:

 E-Learning: Our employees have access to an internal online repository of training opportunities. Courses
include communication, conflict management, emotional intelligence, time management and many more.

 Employee resource groups: Employee resource groups help build awareness, understanding, and mutual
respect among coworkers and offer you an opportunity to continue developing by proving an opportunity
for you to

 Take on a leadership role and learn career-building skills

 Network with senior management

  Create change and share your expertise

 Training academies: Training academies have a defined curriculum for both classroom and online
coursework to target specific career areas such as trading and marketing.

 Leadership training: Cargill offers many development opportunities for you to develop leadership skills
including coaching, public speaking, building effective relationships, people skills and more.

Ability to Contribute
With ideas, energy and the ability to build effective global relationships, you can make a lasting
contribution

Cargill volunteers

Every year, our employees and retirees around the world lend more than 100,000 hours of their time and talent
to volunteer activities. Our people support our charitable giving efforts in alignment with our objective of
helping to build sustainable communities where we live and work.

Collectively and individually, we build schools and homes, mentor and tutor youth, educate farmers, clean up
shorelines, feed hungry people and support economic development. Employees and retirees volunteer on an
individual basis, with their co-workers in team activities, and through the Cargill Cares Councils.

Through more than 300 employee-led Cargill Cares Councils around the world, our employees contribute
thousands of volunteer hours and millions of charitable contributions that have a local impact.

High Caliber People

By working with some of the best people in their field, you'll become one of them

Cargill is full of exceptional people. Some work in labs, fields or kitchens. Others wear hard hats, crunch
numbers, seal deals, research patents and invent new products. Some look for new ways to improve the foods
you eat. Others are creating risk management, energy and industrial solutions. No matter where you find
yourself within the Cargill family, you will encounter passionate people ready to share their knowledge and
experience. We develop and promote a culture of respect so we can learn from each other, achieving more
together than we ever could alone.

We’ve identified key capabilities and qualities, called the heart of leadership, that we seek, develop and expect
from our people. These qualities are essential to build trust, enhance employee engagement and contribute to
sustainable results:

 Integrity: It’s important for leaders to be honest, trustworthy and admit mistakes.

 Conviction: With leadership also comes a strong vision that inspires other to rally around them and take
action.

 Courage: Our leaders are risk-takers. They face adversity with courage, challenge the status quo and
champion new viewpoints.

Shared Pride
Taking pride in Cargill begins with us all taking pride in what we do

There’s a deep-seated sense of pride within Cargill – about our role in the world and the breadth of influence
we have as a business. We know that our impact on the world begins with our actions as individuals.

Our vision

 Our vision is intended to unite, challenge, and inspire everything we do. By embracing and acting on the
following ideas, we will drive Cargill to achieve its vision for the future.

 Our purpose is to be the global leader in nourishing people.

 Our mission is to create distinctive value.

 Our approach is to be trustworthy, creative and enterprising.

 Our performance measures are: engaged employees, satisfied customers, enriched communities, and
profitable growth.

Global Inclusion and Diversity

Why an inclusive culture matters and how we achieve it.

Global Inclusion and Diversity

At Cargill, everyone matters and everyone counts

Cargill’s purpose is to be the global leader in nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.
Inclusion and diversity are key enablers to achieving this purpose and help us to be the most trusted partner in
agriculture, food, and nutrition.

We believe the path to winning requires each person, regardless of role, level, department or location, to
demonstrate inclusive leadership behaviors to drive extraordinary results. To stand apart in this changing
world, we actively engage all employees to create a more integrated, better equipped organization.

The business benefits of inclusion and diversity:

 Strengthens our business.

 Enables us to win through our diverse capabilities, high performing teams, and bold leadership.

 Positions Cargill to shape the future world and better solve the needs of our customers and the
communities we serve.

We encourage our employees to*:

 Be curious.

 Be willing to learn and be influenced by others.

 Listen deeply and carefully.

 Engage a broad range of perspectives.

  Lean into discomfort in order to become more comfortable.

*Adapted from Ferdman, Bernardo M., and Barbara R. Deane, eds. Diversity at Work: The Practice of Inclusion.
San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2014. Print.

Why an inclusive culture matters and how we achieve it

Our culture of inclusion and high performance will position us to consistently win as we focus our efforts on
three areas related to inclusion and diversity.

It’s about our people

Winning with our workforce requires us to put our people first—all of our people. At Cargill, everyone matters
and everyone counts. This is manifested in how we think, act and engage others. We are all leaders at Cargill,
and as leaders, we must behave inclusively to drive increased levels of engagement and contribution.

To do this, we will:

 Connect to everyone by attracting, developing and engaging globally diverse teams while leveraging
varied perspectives to create better outcomes.

 Develop everyone, including ourselves, in order to unleash the full potential of our workforce.

 Increase our level of comfort by leaning into our areas of discomfort.

It’s about where we work

Winning in our workplace requires us to demonstrate authentic and inspirational leadership. We must drive
trust, engagement and productivity throughout the organization. Authentic, inspirational leaders who behave
inclusively serve as role models for others on their teams and with whom they interact. Collectively, this
creates a culture where everyone can do their best.

To do this, we will:

 Inspire others by understanding and communicating their connection to our noble purpose.

 Be a role model for building trust through understanding, familiarity, and appreciation of other cultures.

 Promote dialogue so that people are willing to have candid and courageous conversations about
inclusion and diversity.

It’s about our customers and communities

Winning in our marketplace requires us to differentiate Cargill in bold and deliberate ways to drive our growth
and performance. To grow in the markets we serve, we need to be better than anyone else at delivering what
our customers need to thrive. We will achieve results when we use our collective knowledge, leveraging the
varied perspectives, experiences, talents and ideas of all.

To do this, we will:

 Solve problems and drive innovation through the input of our diverse talent.
  Apply an inclusive lens to all that we do so we can act decisively and courageously.

 Achieve exceptional results through inclusive behaviors and accountability for everyone.

BEST PRACTICES OF CARGILL

A leader from the Global Diversity and Inclusion team serves on the Global Recognition Steering Team to Cargill
has developed an approach to recognition that takes into account the size and scope of its organization, its
businesses, and the way the company is structured. This approach sets the overall tone, philosophy, and
expectations of recognition at a corporate level, while allowing businesses and teams the flexibility to
implement recognition programs that are appropriate and meaningful at local levels.

The dedication of recognition team members is obvious in the program details and the thorough manner in
which the details are implemented company-wide. Based on feedback, the awards ceremony was lengthened
to give more time to describe accomplishments and another round of workshops was added.
“Going into the future, we want to continue to emphasize the bottom tier of the pyramid (common courtesy
and respect),” Buckner said. “We are looking for more virtual events like Podcasts and common Web sites so
that we can include more and more people around the world. Our biggest obstacle by far is that we are a global
company and we are dealing with so many different cultures. Everyone enjoys being recognized. We need to be
sure that our recognition is meaningful and motivational for everyone – we are on our way to accomplishing
that.”

Recognition Professionals International is pleased to honor Cargill with its 2008 Best Practice Overall Award for
its comprehensive and exemplary program. This company’s program is truly a model for recognition
professionals worldwide.

In 2007, Cargill was a winner in three RPI Best Practice categories. Cargill officials report that, because of this
recognition, their program is being viewed as a benchmark by other companies who have asked for Cargill’s help
with their own programs. Overall, Cargill has had several years of outstanding business results. In 2003, its
annual revenue was $54 billion. The fiscal year that ended in June 2007 showed annual revenue of $88 billion.
While officials cannot directly attribute the financial success to recognition, senior leaders do believe increasing
employee engagement positively affected financial results.
Bill Buckner, chief recognition officer, and senior executive vice-president, set forth the following case for
recognition in a presentation:
• Recognition is a response from a person that makes recipients feel good about who they are, what they
are doing,
have done, or will do.
• Recognition is important because it has a high impact on employee engagement and is within everyone’s
control.
• Cargill’s recognition goal is to build a culture in which employees feel motivated to work hard because
they are
appropriately recognized for hard work.
 • Raising satisfaction with recognition impacts engagement; and engagement relates to improved business
results.

“We measure our effectiveness through employee engagement surveys,” Buckner said. “The more engaged
employees are the more productive they are. Where we see high engagement, we see high business
performance. We are on our sixth year of record performance and we believe it all ties together.” Cargill is an
international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services in 66

Recognition Strategy
Cargill’s recognition strategy statement is, Enhance high performance by growing our global culture of
recognition. Its official definition of recognition is, Acknowledging people in a way that is both meaningful and
motivational.
Cargill’s vision statement includes the following four declarations:
• Our purpose is to be the global leader in nourishing people
• Our mission is to create distinctive value
• Our approach is trustworthy, creative, and enterprising,
• Our performance measures are engaged employees, satisfied customers, enriched communities and profitable
growth.

The company has begun to focus on recognition as one of the key factors that will enhance the culture of
innovation it needs to grow.

Cargill uses a four-tier pyramid design to illustrate the levels of recognition. At the base of the pyramid is
common courtesy and respect, followed by day-to-day recognition, informal recognition, and formal recognition
– with the greatest percentage of time and attention focused on the bottom two tiers.
Cargill’s 2007-2008 recognition goals are as follows:
• To examine and shift core assumptions, beliefs, and practices regarding recognition in order to create a
positive culture change throughout Cargill, where best practices in recognition are modeled at every level.
• To reinforce the core message of recognition (including Cargill’s definition, the strategic business case, and
the recognition pyramid) and effectively utilize a variety of communication methods to help create the desired
behavior and culture change throughout Cargill.
• To drive recognition practices and successes throughout the organization and to make recognition readily
accessible and easy to implement for leaders, managers, and employees by providing ideas, best practices,
training, tools, and resources.
By tying into Cargill’s culture and the recognition pyramid, the goals support the recognition strategy of
enhancing high performance through nurturing a culture of recognition.
While Cargill sets the overall direction and strategic focus, each individual business or function is responsible for
organizing its own recognition strategy that meshes with its business goals.

Recognition is a key factor in Cargill’s employee engagement program. The company is committed to growing
its culture of recognition by building awareness, modeling behavior, and making recognition an intuitive part of
the working environment.
Cargill’s traditional 3-Pillars of Success icon is a visual reminder for employees that the company emphasizes:
• High performance
• Customer focus
• Innovation

Two ribbons interweave between the pillars to highlight recognition and collaboration. Cargill has also
developed a leadership model that it uses as the foundation for selection and employee performance reviews
in which recognition is a component.

Day-to-Day and Informal Recognition

Each business and functional area plans its own day-to-day recognition programs. Activities range from thank-
you notes to meal vouchers to time off work. Most corporate functions have award programs for example, HR
has the Excellence Award, IT has the Circle of Pride Award, Technology has the Achievers Circle Award, and
Finance has the Corporate Finance Officer Award. Individual businesses (of which there are 70) have awards
that are specific to their operations. Cargill Animal Nutrition has the CAN President’s Forum and Salt has the
Diamond Crystal Award. Business units build on the work of other business units. The President’s Award started
in the Cargill Kitchen business; then Cargill Animal Nutrition and Cargill Value Added Meats also adopted the
award. The informal awards are usually given out in the years when the formal corporate awards are not given
out, which happen every two years.

Formal Recognition
Formal recognition, which includes a nomination and selection process, is designed to be highly visible, reinforce
key corporate messages, and acknowledge noteworthy achievements and results. Each nominated team or
individual receives notification in the form of a note from the Chief Recognition Officer. Leadership nominees
receive a letter from the CEO. Finalists are notified and invited to attend the Awards Ceremony where winners
are announced and awards are presented.

The biennial formal awards ceremony is where the most prestigious corporate awards are announced. All
finalists are invited to attend. The event, which is a major production that involves significant cost, is designed
to recognize the company’s highest achievers in a very public way.
The Awards Ceremony recognition includes The Chairman’s Awards for:
• Business Excellence,
• Innovation,
• High Performance,
• Customer Focus,
• Leadership,
• Safety,
• Environment and Health, and
• Best Plant
Management Responsibility
“The commitment of our senior leadership is demonstrated in the fact that we have a corporate recognition
officer and senior management participates in our recognition workshops,” Buckner said. “I believe this is one
of the keys to our program’s success.” Cargill named a Chief Recognition Officer (CRO) in 2002 who is also one
of the eight senior executives of the company. The CRO presents the recognition strategy to the Corporate
Center for final approval. In addition, a Global Recognition Steering Team provides guidance for the overall
recognition strategy and execution. Recognition is included as part of the performance management system
and everyone is evaluated against the same standard. In fact, one of the Performance Management Review
items specifically relates to recognition – Values and recognizes others and their contributions.

Cargill uses a Business Excellence approach - based on Malcolm Baldrige criteria- throughout the company1.
Each business unit is evaluated against these criteria every 12 – 24 months. Evaluations include an assessment
of recognition criteria.

Global Recognition Team

The Chief Recognition Officer who is also a senior executive vice-president and a Cargill Leadership Team
member leads the Global Recognition Steering Team. The steering team represents leaders who have a passion
for recognition and who are, in many cases, the champions or leaders of recognition in their own functions,
platforms, or businesses. In addition, business, location, or department leaders champion and lead the hundreds
of local recognition teams that exist throughout Cargill. The CRO regularly presents to and updates the
Corporate Center. In April 2007, he presented the
Recognition Strategy and Values to the Corporate Center meeting. In his presentation, he included the
aspirations for the recognition program; the results of the engagement survey to demonstrate progress; and
tips on what each of the Corporate Center members could do personally. He ended the session by having each
person complete a thank-you note and then encouraged him or her to continue the practice – which he does
regularly.

Corporate Center and Leadership Team

The Corporate Center – made up of Cargill’s top 30 leaders – defined 17 focus areas for what they want to
actively support and measure. Employee engagement is one of those focus areas and recognition is a
component of that.
Corporate Center executives ask their individual business leaders to develop recognition programs that are
meaningful and culturally and demographically appropriate for their employees. In addition, top executives
have taught recognition courses and conducted workshops at Recognition Conferences.

Each of the Chairman’s Awards has a sponsor from the CLT (Cargill Leadership Team made up of the top eight
leaders) and a champion from the Corporate Center. These people are responsible for reviewing the criteria for
the awards and reviewing the applications for the awards. Members from the Global Recognition Steering Team
work with the CLT sponsors and champions during the process.

Recognition Program Measurement

Recognition is measured by employee engagement. In all, Cargill has completed five cycles of Employees
Engagement with surveys. The survey question pertaining to recognition is: I receive adequate recognition
(beyond compensation) for my contributions/accomplishments. It’s important to note that Cargill doesn’t ask if
employees are satisfied with the program structure or how much they participate; officials are more concerned
about employees’ satisfaction with the outcome. After cycle two or three, depending on the business, all
employees’ responses were reflected in the recognition program results. Survey results have shown
improvement. There has been a positive trend in responses to each series of recognition questions. Program
officials report that Cargill’s average “satisfaction with recognition” scores are higher than those of global
employers around the world who participate in the database maintained by
Hewitt Associates, whose engagement model is practiced within Cargill. Each business and function monitors
the level of participation at its level. Cargill does not document employee and manager participation at the
corporate level except to record the number of employees attending the Recognition Conference. In 2002,
about 125 senior managers and 750 e employees attended.

In 2004, 250 senior managers and 850 employees attended. In 2006, 275 managers and 850 employees
attended. While some functions and business units track the type of awards, officials discourage any quotas on
the number of awards handed out, because they feel it would detract from the program’s credibility. Since
Cargill started focusing on recognition, the recognition score on the Cargill Employee Engagement Survey, which
all employees are required to complete every 12 to 18 months, increased 6 percent. On the question as to
whether employees felt they received adequate recognition beyond compensation for their contributions and
accomplishments, results over subsequent years for those who either agreed or strongly agreed were 42
percent, 37 percent (all plant and production employees were included at this point), 47 percent, and 48
percent. This means that from the point all employees were included; there was an 11 percent increase in
positive response.

Communication Plan
The branding for recognition is the 3-pillar icon with the recognition ribbon, which is five- years old. One of the
members of the Global Recognition Steering Team is the manager for the Cargill News – the company magazine.
The steering committee also has a Communication sub-team whose goal is to reinforce the recognition
messages through a number of channels. This team develops a communication plan to ensure all employees
receive the recognition messages. In addition, communication plays an important role in the pre-session,
session, and post-session Recognition Conference messaging.

Communication methods include:

• The internal recognition company Web site, which has the following goals:
 Centralize recognition-related content;
 Raise the profile of recognition at Cargill;
 Reinforce the message that recognition is more than a biennial event;
 Provide new ways to deliver day-to-day recognition; and
 Help functions and business unit managers create a culture of recognition.
• The Recognition Book, which is written every two years to coincide with the Recognition
Conference.
 • Newsletters for individual businesses, which highlight recognition.
Because engagement is a key driver of behavior, Cargill has a Web site dedicated to engagement. It has a section
devoted to recognition – suggesting ways that businesses can improve.

One of the main goals for 2007 was to provide a means to distribute the recognition collateral developed for
the 2006 Recognition Conference. This included adding more information to the Engagement Web site;
developing a Recognition Web site; ensuring that recognition articles are included in the Cargill News; and
supporting functions and business units in their recognition efforts.

Recognition Training
The recognition training strategy is to distribute the key messages that are developed every two years. The new
messages are introduced at the Recognition Conference with the expectation that participants will share what
they learned and help integrate the messages into their business or function before the next
Recognition Conference.
Cargill’s Corporate University, called NourishingU, and has listings for Recognition offerings beyond the core
training that is available to all Cargill employees.

The Global Recognition Steering Team developed a series of three workshops that were introduced at the
2002, 2004 and 2006 Recognition Conferences; and then distributed in written form throughout the
organization through business unit leaders and HR managers. Downloadable copies are also available on the
Web site. Following the conference, recognition training is conducted on request. The Chief Recognition Officer
and other members of the Recognition Steering Team personally conduct several sessions each year.

Recognition Events and Celebrations

Cargill has held a Recognition Conference every two years since 2002. The Recognition Conference shines a
spotlight on both individuals and teams in a variety of areas considered strategically important for Cargill’s long-
term success. A formal awards ceremony is included in every conference.
At the conference, employees have the opportunity to network, share knowledge, and build skills. Following
each event, CD/DVDs are produced so that more people can learn about recognition and share in the
Corporate Award Program experience.
The 2006 two-day conference was held at the Minneapolis Convention center and included more than
1,200 employees from four continents who represented nearly every business sector. The conference included
the following events:
• Learning modules,
• Recognition workshops and roundtable discussions,
• A reception for the award nominees, and
• An awards ceremony.
Cargill has a separate dedicated program for recognizing volunteers and produces cultural awareness events to
recognize, celebrate and better understand groups such as Black and Hispanic people. The company also
celebrates supplier diversity with awards.
Program Change and Flexibility
Because of Cargill’s sheer size - 158,000 employees in 66 countries across seven platforms and 70 business units
– responsibility for the specific design, operation, and review of recognition elements is delegated to each
business unit. Individual programs are always based on Cargill’s Guiding Principles and Strategic Vision.
Adaptations are made in accordance with the realities, necessities, preferences, and/or social norms of each
region, location, business, and activity. The Recognition Steering Team reviews and revises the guidelines, first
drafted in 2002, every two years. The effectiveness of recognition programs are evaluated as part of the
Engagement Survey Process, which is carried out within each business unit.