Nicole Henrich is searching for the next generation of agriculture leaders

Published: Apr 08, 2024

In the two years she’s worked at Nutrien, Nicole Henrich has built a solid foundation for her career in the Talent Attraction team. She and her colleagues are responsible for our Early Careers strategy, growing our talent pipeline and finding the next generation of agriculture leaders.

What does your job involve as Senior Advisor, Talent Attraction & Early Careers for Nutrien’s Retail business unit on the Talent Attraction team?

In coordination with the broader Talent Attraction team, the Early Careers team facilitates hiring from high school, tech school, college, and university programs into Intern, Co-op and New Graduate roles at Nutrien and Nutrien Ag Solutions in North America.

In my role, I work with the Retail Talent Attraction team to support the Retail business in being prepared to go to campuses and career fairs to find and hire students for open roles.

How did you end up in the career you have today?

I grew up in close proximity to agriculture – a small town in Wisconsin with farm fields next to my high school and drive your tractor to school day, but while growing up, I didn’t have much direct connection to the industry. Even though my dad had been VP of his local FFA chapter in high school and grew up on a hog farm, I didn’t even know there was a chapter at my high school. I did activities like Model UN (United Nations), Forensic Speaking, and debate, so I decided to pursue a degree in international business and marketing. During the summer after my junior year of college, I had an internship at John Deere in a customer experience analytics role. That summer, I learned a ton about the product portfolio, the industry, and working with customers. After college, I started a full-time job at John Deere in Marketing and Customer Product Support before changing companies and coming to work for Nutrien.

Many people who work in agriculture come from an ag background and are very passionate about it. I have been fortunate to find great mentors who helped me learn about the industry and grow my career. I developed a passion for supporting customers and the ag industry, so when the opportunity came to build the next generation, I knew I wanted to take it.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

I’ve been lucky to have fantastic mentors who have helped guide me throughout my career. One piece of advice from a mentor that I think about often is “to get really good at the gray.” There are a lot of times when we don’t have clarity or all the answers, and we have to work to create that clarity and find the information. I’ve taken that advice to heart especially as our industry continues to change, from technology, to products, to machinery, etc. It’s changing quickly, and we often don’t have all the answers.

In my role now, I get to pay that mentorship forward and help others gain some clarity. For example, at career fairs, I have the ability to meet lots of people, learn about their passions, and ideally help them find roles that will help Nutrien achieve our purpose while also matching the individual’s personal goals. I love that I get to work with the next generation of leaders.

When at work, how do you stay motivated?

I’m motivated by our purpose, for me Feeding the Future directly relates to building the next generation of talent. At Nutrien, I believe that we need the best talent in order to achieve our goals. There are lots of little things in my job that offer challenges that get me excited to come to work, and I love working on strategy, communication, problem solving, and figuring out how to partner with others. I’m grateful to work with great people and to do work I find rewarding.

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

While not a professional accomplishment, I am proud of the life that my wife and I have built together. I feel happy with where I am in life, and that translates to how I show up at work. While I’m still working to find balance between my life and career, I try to take time for gratitude and contentment each day.

How do you spend your time outside of work hours?

I have a dog that I adore, named Indy (after Indianapolis where I went to college) who is half Australian Shepherd and half English Shepherd. I love travelling, rock climbing and hanging out with my wife, friends and family.