Sustainability Priority 4 – Building Sustainable Operations
Growing up in a rural community in Jamaica where the family business was coffee farming, Shanique’s history and connection to agriculture runs deep. “Agriculture is part of my DNA,” she says, a truth that has shaped her journey and fueled her passion for making a difference. Lessons learned during these formative years taught her respect for the land and how to think ahead for the next season, principles that continue to guide her approach to both business and life.
Shanique’s career with Syngenta began immediately after graduate school, when she joined as a technical expert in Product Safety, specializing in environmental fate modeling. For eight years, she immersed herself in the science of ensuring that Syngenta’s products not only met regulatory standards but protected the environment for future generations. Afterward, Shanique embraced a new role as Risk and Sustainability Manager for North America – a position that enabled her to work closely with teams at major sites like St. Gabriel, Louisiana, and Omaha, Nebraska, to drive their carbon emissions reduction strategies.
During this time, Shanique has championed practical changes that have helped shape Syngenta’s culture from the ground up. For example, when employees moved to their new worksite in Greensboro, North Carolina, Shanique’s team led the effort to move away from single-use plastic cups to permanent ceramic mugs, featuring the motto: “Small Changes, Big Impact.” In addition to reducing waste, she hopes this and other efforts serve as an example of how to embed sustainability in the workplace. “With time and persistence, sustainability becomes second nature,” she says.
Energized by the growing enthusiasm, especially among young professionals, Shanique has played a key role in building awareness around how various teams and external partnerships enable Syngenta’s strategy. Through events such as “Sustainability Day,” she organized poster sessions and conversations with key leaders on the company’s progress in achieving its sustainability goals. After more than two years in this role, Shanique returned to her roots in Product Safety, where her commitment to sustainability has not wavered. “Developing safe products is an essential part of doing agriculture sustainably,” she notes. “Every decision we make has ripple effects on the environment and the communities we serve.”
Shanique’s commitment to the environment extends far beyond her work. During her downtime, you can find her tending to her at-home garden of peppers, tomatoes, and okra – a veggie she loves despite its divisive reputation. By living her values both at work and at home, she hopes to be remembered as someone who led with purpose and inspired others to see sustainability not as a separate initiative but as an essential driver of Syngenta’s success.
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