The so-called Speed Datings organized by Skretting Chile and Inspiring Girls Chile Foundation took place over two days, on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, with in-person meetings for students in the final years of schooling at Bosque Nativo High Schools and Commercial Technical High School in Puerto Montt.

In this new cycle, Skretting convened outstanding professionals from Blumar, Caleta Bay, Camanchaca, Cermaq, Marine Farm and Mowi, who shared their personal stories and professional experiences with over 200 young people and girls.

This second version of the professional talks program developed by Skretting Chile featured eleven women from salmon farming companies holding various positions, from management roles to field positions, in the areas of Production, Farming, Communications, Community Development, Finance and Project Engineering.

The series of talks organized jointly with Inspiring Girls Chile Foundation seeks to enhance professional ambition in girls and adolescents, strengthening their self-esteem, connecting them with role models and references from the most diverse industries, in this case, salmon farming.

Alejandra Kusch, Head of Production Management at Camanchaca, comments on her participation in the talks: “It was entertaining and interesting. I learned things that serve me not only to talk with the girls, but for day-to-day life. Things that make you reflect, that make you think, that make you believe in yourself too. At first I doubted participating, thinking that young people wouldn’t engage with the initiative, but it was the opposite; I was pleasantly surprised by the high motivation and good reception, welcoming you, listening to you and asking you questions. It was super nice – there are girls who are killing it in our region!”.

Also, Kusch makes a call to professionals in the region who work in aquaculture companies: “I definitely recommend to other women in aquaculture that they participate in this type of activities. While it is a predominantly male industry, there is much room for women to enter and it’s great that girls know it: that beyond processing plants, where today there are a good number of women, we have much more to contribute to the industry”.

For her part, Ximena Pinilla, Manager of Logistics and Processes at MOWI, shared part of her experience: “The Speed Dating we had this week at the high schools was an unforgettable, enriching and very motivating experience for me. Being able to share my life experience with a group of young people who are at a stage of decisions that will mark both their professional future and their personal life, I took as a huge responsibility and challenge. Feeling their enthusiasm, their interest and respect for our life stories, made me reflect on the need these young people have to know references from the industry that provides the most jobs in the region. They want motivation and need to feel supported and understood, with the confidence that dreams can become reality, with education and effort”.

The professional also makes an emotional reflection on the impact that these types of actions generate in new generations: “The girls I shared with have a mark of effort and dedication; some with great clarity and others with many doubts and insecurities. It is priceless to have received their trust to express and openly listen to what they feel. We all know how difficult it is to reach the hearts and minds of teenagers, and I am happy to have been able to leave a message in more than one of them.” 

In the words of María Jesús Saldes, Head of Organizational Development at Skretting Chile, “we are happy and very grateful to the schools and the Inspiring Girls Chile Foundation for allowing us to enter for a few hours into the lives of these girls, to enhance their dreams and push them to fight for their future. I thank each of the women role models who participated in this 2023 cycle: Gisela Messer, Claudia Gatica, Mónica Gómez, Carolina Martínez, Mónica Villarroel and Alejandra Yermany from Skretting Chile, and Marcela Elizondo from Blumar; Irma Walker from Caleta Bay; Ximena Pinilla from Mowi; Ingrid Suazo from Marine Farm; Francisca Céspedes from Cermaq; Alejandra Kusch from Camanchaca, for their dedication and active participation. We hope to have planted in the hearts of those girls something that will grow strong for their professional futures”.