Jihan Mercier is the Head of Marketing and Business Development. Following her MBA, she started working in agriculture in 2012 and had the chance of living in Switzerland, Panama and Singapore. Jihan joined Limagrain first with HMC as their Portfolio Lead for Solanaceae in 2018 in the United States and transitioned to her current role with Hazera in 2021, in the Netherlands.
How does Hazera’s brand story have an impact on your day to day?
“2 years ago, we re-branded Hazera and since then, we have centered our mission around the core ethos of “growing together” by making people, partnerships, and crops flourish. This resonates deeply with me because beyond a statement, it really transcends how we work. Every day, our inclusive environment allows diverse perspectives to create breakthrough solutions. Whether brainstorming with team members from different cultural backgrounds or collaborating with growers in various regions, diversity isn’t just a buzzword; it has truly become the engine for creativity and problem solving.”
Can you share a moment/project when you felt this pillar in action?
“We are a global company with more than a thousand employees spread between our 2 headquarters (Israel and the Netherlands) and our 11 subsidiaries. We have over 1,600 varieties sold in more than 130 markets. In essence, our global diversity is in action in every part of the company. Just look at our marketing team with its 35 team members with 13 nationalities, a gender parity of 51% female / 49% male and varied years of experience between 2 and 40 years. How much more diverse can we be? We leverage this diversity to collaboratively execute successful projects whether launching new varieties with value added traits, organizing events such as our recent participation at Fruit Logistica, our week 39 International Open days or in running global campaigns, like “Tomatoes That Work for You”. Everything we do is imprinted with a local touch and our commitment to understand the markets shows in the excitement customers display about working with us. If I must highlight a moment where I really saw diversity in action, I’m transported to a field in Northern Mexico where we were evaluating our new ToBRFV-IR varieties, and in the greenhouse, you had an American, a French, an Israeli, a Mexican, a South African and a Haitian (me) giving feedback on the varieties and that diversity in perspective is unparalleled.”
What motivates you most about being part of this journey of Hazera?
“What drives me most is knowing that I’m part of a company that values every voice. Hazera’s commitment to inclusivity ensures that we don’t just work side by side—we actively learn from one another. This nurturing environment embraces a spectrum of perspectives, allows us to create high-quality seeds, and leads to better, more innovative solutions. Our “People Behind the Crops” concept is a key testament to this diversity as we proudly showcase the people that contribute to Hazera’s success – in every part of the organization. We aspire to contribute to global food security and sustainable agriculture. In order to support our growers and customers; we need to embrace the diversity of our teams which bring passion, experience and strong commitment to innovation.”
What excites you the most about Hazera’s future?
“Looking ahead, I’m thrilled about Hazera’s future because our focus on diversity and innovation is paving the way for groundbreaking advancements. Anchoring our brand’s story to the deeply rooted values of global diversity took courage and I’m proud we’ve been able share how our story of growth, inclusivity, and collaboration went beyond a simple initiative and became the foundation of our innovative spirit. Diversity is not something we take for granted: the same way we embrace our people, we embrace the diversity of crops that we breed. The rich heritage of our varieties – such as Marshal, which celebrated 30 years as a game-changing pointed cabbage continues to embolden us to push the boundaries and to use our collective, diverse strength to transform agriculture and empower communities worldwide for generations to come. And that, excites and motivates me.”
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