Although she would be taking her career into uncharted territory, Jillian Willick says she had a good feeling about going to work for Canpotex Limited.
“I saw it as a place to grow and make an impact globally.”
Like most people from Saskatchewan, Willick knew about the potash marketing and exporting company and its contribution to global food security. Growing up on a farm in the south of the province, she’d even seen Canpotex railcars rolling by, part of the company’s extensive transport system for shipping the essential agricultural nutrient overseas.
Willick later moved west to attend university in Edmonton and after earning a degree in engineering went to work on the business side of the Alberta oil and gas industry. In 2018, she and her husband decided to return to Saskatchewan to be closer to their two families and settled in Saskatoon, the midway point between them.
It’s also home to Canpotex’s global head office, where Willick started as manager, sales and operations planning. She took on increasingly complex roles and in 2022 became senior manager, export documentation and credit.
Like others in the finance and strategy group, Willick and her team are not directly involved in the sales and delivery of potash. Instead, their work encompasses activities that contribute to the smooth execution of Canpotex’s business. This includes essential functions such as export documentation, credit analysis, risk management, and more.
“My manager saw I was eager to learn and so she made sure I had the training and mentoring I needed,” Willick says. “That’s something Canpotex does really well: they provide you with opportunities that broaden your skills and experience and allow you to grow into different responsibilities.”
Derek Gross, senior vice-president, finance and strategy, says Canpotex’s unique business context makes working there both exciting and fulfilling.
“We’re a relatively small company with a massive global reach,” says Gross. “With approximately 170 employees around the world, we export over 14 million tonnes of Canadian potash to more than 40 countries each year. Our people have the opportunity to wear multiple hats and connect with a variety of business partners and cultures as we operate an increasingly complex global business.”
Founded in 1972, Canpotex is Saskatchewan’s largest overseas exporter. And while it has a history of successfully overcoming challenges, Gross says the company cannot afford to rest on its laurels.
To that end, Canpotex has developed a robust strategic plan, as well as annual operating plans and budgeting processes, to support both daily operations and effective decision-making across the organization, Gross says.
“We try to anticipate the changes that are coming our way, but we know that in any given year we’re going to have to adjust our game plan,” he says. “I think the last five years have really demonstrated this agility and built confidence that we know how to pivot if necessary.”
Willick’s contribution to this resilience includes the strategic insights she offers senior leaders. That’s thanks, in part, to the key relationships she maintains with Export Development Canada, insurance providers, industry groups, and other parties with relevant information and viewpoints.
She also pays annual visits to São Paolo, the financial capital of Brazil where Canpotex opened an office in 2018. As well as connecting with staff, Willick meets with key buyers in Brazil, Canpotex’s largest market. As a key fertilizer ingredient that improves Brazil’s potassium-deficient soil, Canpotex’s potash has contributed to larger crop yields there.
For Willick, Canpotex truly is a place to grow and have an impact.
“It’s been better than I could ever have planned,” she says.
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