Employee Spotlight: Amanda Thorbjornsen, HR Manager, North America

Q: What brought you to ofi? What was your experience before coming to ofi?

I did not know anything about ofi before getting hired here. I even had to google peanuts before my interview to see how they were grown.

I was unable to find a job for about 6 months after moving to Alabama and I believe that it was fate that led me to this job.

Q: What has your journey at ofi been like? Have you experienced promotions or switched departments, roles, etc.?

I was hired at ofi as an Administrative Assistant. Then about a year and a half later, I was promoted to the Human Resources department.

Q: What’s the most exciting part about your job?

The people. I love being able to make a positive impact in someone’s life.

Q: What has been your favorite moment at ofi so far?

We did 12 days of Christmas last year for our employees and I loved it. We had little gifts each day with a different theme. It took a lot of hard work, but I received amazing feedback from the employees and am looking forward to doing it again this year.

Q: Our company purpose is ‘be the change for good food and a healthy future.’ In what way do you live our purpose through your work and how might that align with anything you learned during your military service?

As HR, I believe it’s important to hire employees and train existing employees on the importance and meaning of our purpose. I believe that everyone should take pride in what they do, by providing a product that will eventually feed millions of people, they are helping to make the world a better place.

Q: Thank you for your service. Can you share what branch of the military you were in and how long you served?

I was in the United States Air Force for 8 years.

Q: How would you explain your military service to someone with no military background?

I worked in Knowledge Operations Management, my primary focus was records keeping, some basic IT work and writing/reviewing/approving Enlisted Performance Reviews and Officer Performance Reviews.

I was stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming for 6 years, then Dayton, Ohio for 2 years and I was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan for 6 months. I received 3 Achievement Medals and 2 Commendation Medals within the 8 years of service.

Q: How has your military experience influenced your leadership style?

The military was very black and white with all of their rules, but the best leaders that I had wouldn’t just lead and expect others to follow. They would partner with us, show us support and then let us lead the way. This is how I like to lead today.