In the PPSA Network, women are stepping up as leaders and key players in agriculture and food system transformation. In this Q&A, we share with you Janeth's inspirations and motivations in the field of Agritech.
Job titles can sometimes be confusing or limiting, can you describe to us what your work with Planet entails? We realize there may be no such things as a ‘typical’ work day for you, can you share what your current 2 weeks looks like?
As the Senior Field Marketing Manager I work with our Asia Pacific (APAC) leadership team to own and execute the field marketing strategy for the APAC region, prioritizing the top events and activities to influence pipeline and awareness as well as with cross functional teams - design, sales, product, product marketing, partners. Most importantly I own the end-to-end execution of an event. This includes pre-work activities such as ensuring the right accounts are targeted, setting up event goals, lining up the right attendees, executing setup and staffing the event. This also includes post-event activities such as attendee follow up and pipeline tracking, ensuring measurements are in place to track the ROI on all activities, and working with the team to set-up campaigns and track influence and ROI on all activities
My current two weeks are focused on event planning and coordination, execution of regional campaigns, coordinating digital webinars, collaborating with Planet Partners in APAC for joint webinars and other marketing activities, lots of meetings and marketing research.
In PPSA and Grow Asia, we have the GDD: What is Good, what is Different, what is Difficult. Would you mind sharing what are your GDDs, especially as a woman in agritech? From your perspective and/or experiences, what are the challenges and opportunities?
Good - standing out, being recognized and having the opportunity to have a voice to take up space in the society.
Different - I don't feel anything that is different, I have worked/working for companies that have a very open/diversified work culture and that everyone is being treated equally.
Difficult - In general and what is happening today, women often feel that it is required to walk a razor’s edge between being assertive and likable, prove her worth beyond anything expected of her male peers, and endure an array of biases that feel — and are — challenging to overcome.
What are the points of collaboration you are most excited about for PPSA and Planet? Are there areas that may be a bit more challenging?
I am mostly excited about the joint events, speaking engagements, collaborative marketing activities and getting to know more people in the PPSA community that share the same passion and interests within the work circle.
Keeping a tab of everything can be a challenge. You need to be on top of everything from planning to execution to post-event activities to ensure a successful event.
Continuous collaboration with different people involved can also be a challenge but I enjoy working with different members of the team because there is always something that I learned and can apply with my role.
It can be very difficult but the reward of a successful event, collaboration, engagement or just merely marketing activities reflects my dedication to excel and exceed expectations. If the people who attend my events are happy or have a negative experience, it will totally reflect on the teamwork and leadership each one played. That is why I stay committed to continuously work hard and learn along with the experience.
Working for a company that has a global presence and perspective, what has shifted in how you see our country? What do you appreciate more fully now and where do you want to see improvements happening?
Working for a company who aims to have a positive global impact is exciting and honorable. I have seen different developments in different industries across every country I have handled, and I understand each will have different sets of needs. Putting into perspective that the Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in the region, I know our company will be able to help in the fields of disaster response, Agriculture, Forestry and land use, sustainability, and government applications.
Now let’s focus on agriculture, satellite data has a huge role to play not only in improving management practices in farms across the world, but also in helping stakeholders downstream the value chain to monitor their suppliers.
Planet data is being used across the world to identify yield limiting factors such as pests, diseases, water and nutrient stress and weeds. Our data is powering digital platforms that generate different agronomic recommendations from irrigation to seeding rates and fertilizer applications.
Beyond these core use cases, we see our data used in a wide variety of ways—like the estimation of pasture biomass for rotational grazing of livestock, measuring the effectiveness of experimental seeds or treatments, determining field boundaries and crop types, detecting key events like planting and harvesting, and managing irrigation decisions.
We find our data is very effective when it’s combined with other data sets, like weather data, samples from field trials, or a farmer’s own equipment data. Often satellite data can work in concert with this on the ground data and provide a means to measure what’s too expensive or time consuming to measure manually. Solutions for smallholder farmers have different objectives including parametric insurance schemes, yield estimation and generating agronomic recommendations related to water, pest and nutrient management in agricultural crops.
Ultimately, we are one player in meeting smallholder needs. Technology adoption needs to be driven with collaboration and keeping the end-user in mind. We want to learn as much as we can from our customers and partners about smallholder needs.
Can you tell us about your roots, your family origins and birthplace? Can you describe what it was like for you growing up?
I was born in Calamba City, Laguna, I am the second child of two siblings. My father is from Calamba City, Laguna and my mother is from Mindoro. We are not well off, my dad was an OFW and was away for 5 years and when he returned, I didn't even recognize him. I always remember my mom will always tell me that “Education is the only gift your father and I can give you”, it motivated me to strive harder, dream bigger and never give up. Life is not always fair and easy but that made me the strong person I am now. Let it be your inspiration to reach new heights, success and happiness.
Can we go back to when you were in college, is this the work you saw yourself doing at this age? Can you share your journey, including all the detours that took you to your current place now? What were the other life tracks you were considering before this one?
In college, I decided that being an Industrial Engineer is the profession that I want to take. It was never easy, especially since it was a very expensive and technical degree. That did not stop me from dreaming to finish my degree and work my way up.
I started as a Planner in a manufacturing company. Start up pay and long hours of work. I have always been a hard worker and committed to exceeding what is expected from me. I got burned out with the daily routines, long hours and low salary. I’ve known myself as a very organized person and I can do the planning job but I feel that it doesn't suit my personality. That is the time that I looked for other career opportunities and that paved the way for my Marketing career. I remember traveling to Makati right after work after making up my mind and applying to a call center.
After developing my soft skills and knowledge of handling customers, a window of opportunity opens up as a marketing analyst. And from there on, my journey as a marketing professional flourished. That paved the way for my current role as a Senior Field Marketing Manager in Planet in Singapore. And I never looked back after that and loved the experience, skills and development I earned in the field of Marketing.
I want to tell everyone that we should not be confined with the current status or situation we are in but always look ahead and see what the future might bring. It can be scary and challenging most of the time but that is the beauty of it.
You learn from it and that experience propels you with your determination to succeed. Do what you love and make yourself happy and it will feel like you are not just working but living the passion that keeps you going.
What topics can you talk about for hours if there were no time constraints and why? (It can be an interest, a passion, and/or an aspect of your job. Please feel free to share what you are comfortable with)
My field of expertise is Marketing, promotion, events planning, marketing trends and digital marketing.. I enjoy all the experience I have with my journey in this profession. Aside from work related stuff, I enjoy fashion and astrology whenever I have free time to spend.
I also enjoy spending time with my family traveling, playing tennis, jump rope and badminton, enjoying good food, and discussing house renovations.
Who are the women who inspire you? What characteristics do they have or what actions have they taken that were notable for you?
My mother has been my inspiration ever since I can remember. We were not well off to begin with but despite that, she was able to take care of us (with two other siblings) very well and was able to send us all to college too. The qualities that I admire the most are her resiliency, patience and hard working never give up attitude. She does not just despair and always tries to give us her best despite what we are lacking financially.
I felt that life could have been more difficult without her. And from the memories of seeing those qualities I told myself that I will be like her and that inspired me to rise from the challenges I am up against. To stay strong when the tough gets going. Surely, it was not also easy but I am able to rise above it. It will be the same trait that my daughter will see and hoping it inspires her as well to do great in life and the career she would like to take in the future.
What are some stereotypes you found yourself being placed in as a woman in this field? Can you share a few things that people say they are surprised to find out when they get to know you better?
I find that gender stereotyping is considered to be a significant issue obstructing the career progressions of women in management. Oftentimes there is a minimal representation and participation of women in top-level management positions. I knew that I had to do something for myself and not just because you want to break that barrier. I continued to lead by empowering myself and colleagues by being an example.
I was fortunate enough to lead a team of 60 when I was the Marketing Manager at Nidec Motor Philippines Corporation, before I moved to Singapore. People tend to have a first impression that I am evil-tempered but once they get to know me they find the opposite. I would like to believe that I am a humble person with a good heart for my colleagues, the kind that will stand up for them when circumstances arise.
What are dreams you still have for yourself at this point in your career, and in your life?
I have always dreamt of becoming a Vice President of Marketing, leading my own team whether in the Space Tech industry sharing my experiences to other people to inspire them. I also wished to become the best mother for my daughter, Skye.
Despite the current circumstances that she is studying in the Philippines, I always do my best to reach out to her and spend quality time. I may not be the perfect mother but I give my best to make sure that she feels loved and appreciated. I believe that she will grow up gracefully since she is intelligent, caring, thoughtful and responsible.
You may connect with Janeth Fule through her Linkedin page. To learn more about Planet, visit https://www.planet.com/
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