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The nature of the industry requires a longer-term approach to talent, says Somnuek Ngamtrakulchol. "As constraints persist, organisations need to anticipate future skill requirements and invest early in developing talent, rather than relying solely on immediate hiring."
Stepping into the agribusiness sector marked a significant shift in how Somnuek Ngamtrakulchol (pictured above), HR Director, Asia-Pacific, ADM, approaches HR’s role in supporting the business. The industry’s close links to market volatility, climate conditions, and regulatory changes mean workforce planning cannot afford to be reactive. Instead, he observes, HR must anticipate shifts early and stay closely connected to operations as they unfold.
This has required a more hands-on and adaptable approach. As Ngamtrakulchol shares, working alongside teams on the ground has become essential to understanding real-time challenges and responding quickly. At the same time, there is a heightened focus on safety, compliance, and risk management, given the nature of manufacturing sites and agricultural environments. These are embedded into daily operations, with HR playing a key role in ensuring employees are well-prepared and accountable.
Alongside these operational shifts, talent remains a key pressure point. The agribusiness sector continues to face a limited pool of professionals with specialised expertise in areas such as commodity trading, commercial risk, and global operations – thus bringing talent retention and development to the forefront as critical priorities. Adding to these, would be efforts build a strong leadership pipeline that can navigate increasingly complex and diverse markets across APAC.
In this edition of Industry Insider, Ngamtrakulchol speaks to Umairah Nasir about the shifts that have influenced his approach to HR, the realities of managing talent in a complex and evolving sector, and how he is building more agile, future-ready teams across APAC.
Q You have spent over two decades in HR across industries. What was the biggest shift you had to make when you moved into ADM and the agribusiness space?
One of the biggest shifts when I moved into ADM and agribusiness was aligning workforce planning more closely with a fast-moving, highly interconnected industry. External factors such as market volatility, climate conditions, and regulatory changes can have immediate implications on both operations and talent needs, so HR needs to anticipate change rather than react to it.
This also requires a more hands-on and adaptable mindset. I became more closely involved on the ground, working alongside teams to understand real-time challenges and respond quickly as situations evolved. It reinforced the importance of staying agile and connected to the business.
At the same time, there is a stronger emphasis on safety, compliance, and risk management. Given the nature of operations across manufacturing sites and agricultural environments, these are not just policies, but everyday practices. HR plays an important role in ensuring employees are well-trained, clear on expectations, and accountable.
Q ADM connects farmers, supply chains, and advanced innovation. Where do you see the biggest pressure points when it comes to talent?
A key challenge is the limited talent pool with direct agribusiness experience, particularly in areas like commodity trading, commercial risk, and global operations.
Retention is therefore critical. Given the niche skillsets required, competition for experienced professionals is strong, so it is not enough to attract the right people. We also need to offer clear development pathways and meaningful opportunities to retain them, while encouraging our people managers to take greater ownership in developing their teams.
At the same time, building a strong leadership pipeline is essential. As the business continues to evolve, there is a need to build a robust bench of future leaders who can navigate complexity and operate across diverse markets. We invest in early-career initiatives such as our APAC Finance Trainee and Global Trade Commercial Trainee programmes, which provide cross-functional exposure and hands-on experience to build both technical expertise and leadership capability from the outset.
Overall, the nature of the industry requires a longer-term approach to talent. As constraints persist, organisations need to anticipate future skill requirements and invest early in developing talent, rather than relying solely on immediate hiring.
Q Leading HR across APAC means managing very different markets and nuances. Where do you see the biggest tension between global consistency and local needs?
The biggest tension often lies in balancing global frameworks with local cultural realities. While global consistency provides structure, how strategies are interpreted and implemented can vary significantly across markets.
This is especially evident in how talent strategies are understood and executed across markets at different stages of maturity. Approaches that work well in more developed markets may not always translate effectively into emerging ones, where priorities, capabilities and expectations can differ.
Employer branding is another area where this balance becomes important. While it is important to maintain a strong global identity, it must still resonate locally. In practice, this means recognising that talent expectations differ across markets. In more mature markets, candidates may prioritise mobility, flexibility, and defined career pathways, while in emerging markets, there is often greater emphasis on stability and long-term growth.
The challenge is not choosing between global and local, but ensuring the global narrative is flexible enough to be meaningfully applied in different contexts.
Q At ADM, colleague development is seen as a building block for value creation. How do you translate this into something employees actively engage with and take ownership of?
The key is making development both accessible and relevant to employees’ individual career journeys. At ADM, development is part of everyday conversations. Through a continuous performance management approach, regular check-ins between managers and colleagues help align on goals, reflect on progress, and refine development plans over time. This also means managers play an active role in coaching and are accountable for supporting the growth of their teams.
Supporting this are tools such as Career Navigator, which gives employees visibility into potential career pathways and the skills needed to progress across roles and functions, along with our broader learning ecosystem.
We also take a practical approach through the 70-20-10 model, anchoring development in real experiences, supported by coaching and complemented by formal learning. Employees are encouraged to take ownership through flexible, non-linear career paths, whether that means exploring new roles, deepening expertise, or building new capabilities. Our Mentorship Programme further supports this by connecting employees with experienced leaders for guidance and development.
When you combine the right tools with ongoing dialogue and clear ownership, development becomes more meaningful and something employees actively engage with.
Q Many companies talk about letting employees shape culture. What actually works, and what tends to fail?
What tends to work is creating clear structures that enable employees to take ownership in meaningful ways, rather than treating culture as an abstract concept.
At ADM, we introduced a Culture Ambassador programme in APAC where employees play an active role in shaping culture within their local teams and markets. They act as a bridge between employees and leadership, driving initiatives around engagement, well-being, and inclusion, while translating employee sentiment into actionable improvements at both local and regional levels.
What tends to be less effective is when culture is driven purely top-down or through one-off initiatives. Without consistent involvement and clear ownership, these efforts rarely translate into everyday behaviours.
Ultimately, building culture requires consistency, trust, and shared accountability. When employees feel heard and empowered, their contributions are more likely to translate into meaningful, lasting impact.
Q Looking ahead, what is one change HR leaders in traditional industries need to make now to stay relevant?
HR needs to move beyond a support role and operate as a strategic partner.
This means being more closely involved in business decisions and shaping workforce strategies that directly impact organisational performance.
It also requires rethinking how we view talent. Organisations need to see the workforce as a dynamic pool of skills, investing in reskilling, redesigning career paths, and enabling more fluid movement across functions.
In practice, this means expanding development pathways and creating more opportunities for continuous learning. At ADM, we combine mentoring, hands-on experience, digital learning, and cross-functional exposure to build adaptable, future-ready talent. We also encourage “jungle gym” career moves, where employees grow through lateral and cross-functional experiences rather than purely vertical progression, helping build agility across the business.
Q On a lighter note, what is one fun surprise about working in agribusiness?
While agribusiness is often seen as traditional, one of the biggest surprises is how dynamic and innovative the industry actually is.
There is constant evolution in areas like supply chain efficiency, sustainability, and digital transformation, which makes the work both engaging and impactful, especially in contributing to feeding a growing global population.
It’s an industry that sits at the intersection of tradition and innovation, and that balance is what makes it particularly exciting to be part of.
Lead image / Provided
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