Blanca Torrent, the executive director of Andalusia-based Torrent Olives, was among the winners of the 2020 Mujer Agro awards in Madrid.
Presented by Spain’s National Association of Agronomic Engineers (INIA), the digital newspaper eComercioAgrario and the Siete Agromarketing agency, the award recognizes the work of women in the agricultural sector to promote gender equality and empower other women working in the sector.
In Torrent Olives, the presence of women at all levels of the organization has been strengthened, from the agrarian positions… to the leadership sphere.- Blanca Torrent, executive director of Torrent Olives
“The jury has given this award to Blanca Torrent for strengthening an important gender equality policy in the company, promoting the presence of women at all levels of the organization and promoting numerous initiatives for the empowerment of women in the agri-food sector in Córdoban society,” the organization announced on its website.
Torrent told Olive Oil Times that while she may have accepted the award, it was many of the other women in her life who deserved the credit for it.
See Also:Syrian Women Given the Chance to Learn New Skills From Italian Farmers“I remembered and offered it to my grandmother and my mother, not forgetting my daughter, all of whom showed us a real path forward, with their examples and energy,” she said.
Torrent added that table olive harvesting and packaging is a sector that has been traditionally dominated by men in Spain, but Torrent Olives is working to change that paradigm.
“In Torrent Olives, the presence of women at all levels of the organization has been strengthened, from the agrarian positions… to the leadership sphere,” Torrent said. “In addition, I like to emphasize that 75 percent of our managers are women, and our board of directors is mostly female.”
Through her hiring policy, Torrent seeks to cultivate a diverse workforce by offering equal opportunities to men and women from all backgrounds. She believes that these practices have made Torrent Olives more competitive and allowed the company to retain more talent.
Torrent was also recognized at the award ceremony for her work in coordinating a group of local businesswomen, who meet regularly to discuss the issues of the day.
“Years ago, Córdoban professionals met at different events in the city and province, but infrequently,” she said. “I participated and I am still very active in this women’s business group, created in 2017 in Córdoba, with the purpose of advancing the visibility of women in the business world.”
Along with helping to create the new group which meets for breakfast three times each year and frequently invites esteemed guests to discuss specific subjects, Torrent has been active in several other Córdoban business organizations, advocating for a greater presence of women in positions of responsibility at local companies and organizations.
“Companies must listen,” she said. “Listen to their customers, society, workers and suppliers. They lead the way.”
Lucía Velasco Rodriguez, a farmer from Jaén, and Verónica Cirino, a researcher at the agro-technology company Atens Agro, also won the award.
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