“We work in complex geographies’” he explained. “We make it clear to recruits that we operate ethically. Even though it may make it difficult for them to do business in some geographies, they must accept it and find ways to do business ethically.”


Feliks Khamaev from ADM stressed the competitive nature of the business and the importance of interpersonal relationships. “A young person needs to be hungry to advance and grow–to explore new markets and not be afraid to generate and express new ideas,” he told me. “It is not enough to read the market correctly; a trader must have the initiative to create new ideas and put them into practice.”


“Trading is about interpersonal relations,” he added. “To achieve recognition, you must build your brand in the eyes of your colleagues, your reports, your management, and your clients.”


Several interviewees stressed the importance of teamwork. Alex Sanifiu told me that he would not hire anyone who was not a team player. “Connectivity and working in teams are at the heart of our culture,” he explained.


Todd Thul added that the best teams are diverse ones. “It makes business sense for Cargill to value and seek out diversity,” he told me. “We want the best teams – and the best teams are diverse.”


“If you visit our trading floor here in Geneva,” he continued, “you’ll see people from all over the globe, and this is what we want. We seek out different perspectives – different ways of looking at things. We need people to challenge assumptions and avoid groupthink. A trading team must value any opinion and include it in their analysis to be


Jonathan Kingsman E: jonathan.kingsman@gmail.com


successful. The key to any successful trader is to embrace and include all opinions.”


“And the last thing is leadership,” Todd added. “I believe that no matter what your role is, leadership is a high-value characteristic: how you manage yourself, how you interact with people, how you handle adversity. These are all relevant attributes for somebody running a commercial business, such as a trading desk.”


It is clear what trading companies look for in recruits, but what do candidates look for in their future employers?


Devashish Chaubey told me when he interviews candidates, they all ask him what Olam does for the global good. “Young people today are purposeful in what they want to achieve during their lives,” he explained. “They want to work for a company that shares their values and where they can make a difference.” What else should a candidate look for in a potential employer? Jean-Luc Bohbot, the sugar head at Wilmar, told me that a young person thinking of becoming an agricultural commodity trader should look for “a company used to taking on recruits - a company which has a whole training process in place.”


Perhaps more importantly, he added that they should “look for a group with the resources and the focus to profit from the decarbonisation of the economy. The energy revolution requires huge capital and a global footprint.”


“Commodities will be full of opportunities for young talented people,” he continued. “The sector is a fascinating mix between the ‘traditional economy’ - still at the junction of cultures and continents - and the ‘new economy’


27 | ADMISI - The Ghost In The Machine | Q1 Edition 2022


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