My name is Sandra Castaneda and I’m a director in our Integrated Supply Chain Portfolio function under the Global Technology team. My team oversees all technology products, applications, and solutions in the Integrated Supply Chain space from transportation to business planning.
I’m originally from Colombia and I moved to Florenceville, New Brunswick back in 2000 with my husband because of McCain. Transitioning from big city lifestyle to a small town with only a few hundreds of people at that time was a big change for me to say the least. But the people in this community have been nothing but welcoming. They recognize how difficult it was for us to move to a foreign country and they are so caring, helpful, and open to accept us as part of their lives. It’s strong sense of community that has made us want to stay. During my 20 years of tenure here, I had the opportunity to work in many different areas within our technology space including technology program development, business system analysis, and project management. My husband and I also had the opportunity to relocate to Argentina for 5 years which was a great internal mobility experience for us as well.
One of the things I’m proud of is how inclusive we are as a company. As someone whose mother tongue is not English, it was tough for me to communicate with others and articulate myself at work at first. But I never felt like it was an impediment for me and my professional growth. Here at McCain, it does not matter where you came from or the color of your skin, what you can offer and the value you bring is what truly matters. You are valued, heard, and seen as a person, and your work is treated with respect.
We love our lives here at McCain and in Florenceville. Now that our children are in school age, my husband and I have volunteered to be coaches for soccer and volleyball. We love the fact that we are able to live in a tight community where people look out for each other and we feel safe & included to raise our family, but we also get to work for a global company where opportunities are literally at every corner you take. It’s the best of both worlds, truly.