When Ricarda Miller, Nelia Rousseau and Nolwazi Mkize walk into a room they emanate passion and leadership. These three women sit at the head of their respectable divisions at Bayer Agriculture and Science. They are not only role models to their colleagues but to every young girl who is considering a career in science.
Ricarda Miller is the Head of Product Development Breeding in Africa and trained in chemistry before relocating from Germany to South Africa with her family to work for Bayer. This unstoppable woman is also a mother and a national weightlifting champion in two different continents.
Nelia Rousseau, Head of Field Solutions for Africa is a force to be reckoned with in the industry, as well as a mother of three. Their family enjoys cycling, jogging, or flying around in their small aeroplane.
Nolwazi Mkize is the Head of Regulatory Science for Africa, she hails from the Eastern Cape and is a mother of three, which includes twins. She enjoys new and exciting things with her family.
When speaking about being a woman in science Nelia believes being good at your job is not determined by gender but by passion.
“I believe you must have a passion for science to be in agriculture. Whether you are a female or a male, from my perspective it makes no difference. For women it does become a little more challenging, because it is typically a male dominated environment. But the ladies I work with, work in the industry because of their passion for the agricultural industry and the way we bring innovation to farmers to change how we feed our nation,” she explains.
For Nolwazi, getting into science has taught her to be better and stronger. She remembers when she had to explain at university why she wanted to go into science.
“I had to fight even to enter the science field. I believe when you have a passion for something you must enter it knowing you should have a fighting spirit. When people think I cannot do something, I make sure I can do it five times better,” she explains.
She has kept this mindset throughout her career and says she fights hard for farmers and the bigger goal.
“Being in the regulatory environment is not easy, you must see to it that the company does the right thing according to the laws and regulations in our industry. Part of my work is to help all our colleagues understand these regulations and how we can deliver on our goals within the regulatory environment,” she says.
It is their passion for agriculture that drives Nelia Rousseau, Nolwazi Mkize and Ricarda Miller from Bayer Crop Science.
Ricarda tries to be the role model that she never had. It drives her to look out for her team. She started in Germany in a male dominated environment and says it was difficult trying to make her way.
“It took me a while to realise that it is not about fitting in but rather being courageous enough to do it the way that you think is right. And that is what I live by everyday now,” she adds.
Bayer is an innovative leader in the agricultural industry. They work to bring the latest technology to the farmer. Nelia says there are some challenges for women. For instance, field work does not always cater to a woman’s needs.
“But I think it brings diversity to the way we think. We run these trials with farmers in mind. Our diverse team is an example of why Bayer is one of the innovation leaders; our team works together to bring the right solutions to the farmers,” she says.
Nolwazi agrees and says, “When you look at farming in rural areas, it is mainly women that are actually doing the farming.”
She grew up with her grandmother who was a farmer and believes that women have a way of bringing Bayer’s solutions home.
“The technology we have, where we do not need to spray for certain pests in Bt crops like maize, cotton and soybeans, is amazing. I would encourage girls to choose these types of careers, because it is us that will take these solutions to our families and it is us who need to be the mouthpiece of innovation for Bayer,” Nolwazi says.
The topic of equity makes Ricarda excited because she has seen the changes in her own team.
“I would say we have equity in our team. It is impressive to see the amount of passion this team has and how the discussions are different in a team that is balanced. I appreciate the passion that we receive from everyone, also the young female team members, driving innovation, bringing it to the field and showing the value of the ideas they have. It is something I have not seen so far in my career” she says proudly.
These three women have a message to their younger selves and the youth.
“Be courageous and do exactly what you want to do, and it is going to be the right thing for you,” says Ricarda.
“Be patient, keep on going and anything is possible,” adds Nolwazi.
Nelia ends off by saying: “Operate from a place of conviction and passion. And go for it, do not stand back for anyone.”
