SEPTEMBER 2017 GERMINATION.CA 15 Ottawa, which would lead to a career in seed. In addition to her role at Canterra Seeds, where she started in 2008 as director of research and product development, she also served for over two years as CEO of Limagrain Cereals Research Canada (LCRC), a partnership between Canterra Seeds and the France-based Limagrain. Other major roles have included an eight-year stint overseeing the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute, which came out of a job she had at Canada Malting. Armstrong has become a hugely respected and influential figure in her field, known as an expert commu- nicator who can bring everyone around the table. Armstrong sat down with Germination to talk about the major success strategies she’s learned and passed on to others in regard to building a career in seed. 30-SECONDBIO HOMEPROVINCE Manitoba ALSOLIVEDIN British Columbia, Alberta, Québec, Ontario, Minnesota, Finland, Switzerland EDUCATION Bachelor of science in agriculture from the University of Manitoba and a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Ottawa FIRSTJOBSAFTER GRADUATING Technician in a quality-control lab at an industrial bakery in Finland. Then moved to Switzerland, working on an instant pasta product for a Nestlé research company BIGBREAKINTOTHE SEEDINDUSTRY 2008, when she became director of research and product development for Canterra Seeds “When I agreed to interview for the job at Canada Malting, I really didn’t know anything about malt,” she says with a chuckle. “I was read- ing a textbook on an airplane going to a job interview at a malting com- pany. When I look back on it, that was a little scary. But it worked out.” Tom Steve, general manager of the Alberta Wheat Commission, can testify to how important it is to be successful at bringing many voices to the table. “Erin is a collaborator and a conciliator, and always takes a very professional approach, which I appreciate about her. You know exactly where she’s coming from. She’s not one to initiate controversy — she brings different opinions together to find areas of common interest,” he says. “People feel a certain comfort level that she’s going to listen to all sides, as opposed to being hard and fast on any particular issue. She uses a fact- based approach to bridge those gaps.” David Hansen, CEO of Canterra Seeds, can attest to that. Trying to bring stakeholders together from the public and private sector is not easy, he says, and having someone with Armstrong’s skills at the table helps to make initiatives like the LCRC possible. “She has that inherent quality and ability to reach people without them feeling like there’s an agenda already set or decisions have already been made. That’s valuable,” he says. Be Open to Trying New Things Armstrong didn’t really know the seed industry until she got into it. “I asked myself what I wanted in a job, and worked through that for myself. I’m glad I made the decisions I made, but there’s never a right or wrong answer when you’re contem- plating different paths in life.” Be a Uniter According to Armstrong, it’s crucial to get everyone around the table. This unites people and makes them truly feel like a part of the decision-making process — crucial in the business world. She has experience as both a researcher and an executive, so she knows what it’s like on both sides of the table. Perhaps more importantly, she knows the skills that apply to one area can apply to the other — a major reason she’s been successful in both the research and corporate spheres. Dave Hansen serves as CEO of Canterra Seeds.