Tyson Foods is Transforming Leaders

Adriana Graham- Senior Director of Information Technology at Tyson Foods

By: Luana Ferreira

Since Adriana Graham started her career, she decided to make a difference. As the Senior Director of Information Technology at Tyson Foods, Adriana is deeply committed to making the organization an inclusive place that positively impacts employees' lives. "It is all about the team. I think we are all in the people business, regardless of the business we are," she said. 

Adriana defines a leader as a person that should inspire people to do the right thing. "We represent a brand that has been here for a long time, with a true sense of ethics and the purpose of feeding the world and caring for each other.  That same mission inspires my personal leadership - “embracing and supporting my team; I am dedicated to helping them grow” Born in Medellin, Colombia, Adriana is a world citizen. Her parents were university professors, and they both valued education and motivated her to become independent very early on in life. Adriana had full support when she told her parents her dreams of becoming a professional athlete and moved to Germany where she became a successful tennis player, competing in the Women's Tennis Association in over 30 countries.

Adriana moved to the United States, where she studied International Business and Economics at the University of Arkansas. During her time at the university, she became involved in projects that triggered her passion for technology and its impact on people's lives and she decided to get a master’s degree in Information Systems. "My background has helped me a lot.  A foundation in business with a passion for technology that came after," she says. "I really embrace strategic initiatives and find opportunities to bring IT solutions and services to help support and propel those initiatives."

Having a multicultural background was essential in Adriana's career and she was able to bring to the table unique skills. She started her career at Tyson Foods where she has been allowed to develop all her leadership skills. Adriana is fluent in four languages (Spanish, English, Portuguese, and German) and has worked abroad in Mexico, Brazil, India, and China. "I came straight from college to Tyson and here is where I have grown up professionally, "Adriana said. "It has been a journey supported by tremendous opportunities, even in some cases when I wasn't completely ready, and Tyson gave me an opportunity to stretch and continue to learn and grow in my position."

Adriana is aware that women in leading positions in technology are not the "norm "in business and she brings added diverse experiences and insights to the company as a Latin woman. "I felt valued by my ideas and the diversity of thought that I brought to the table. For me, that is the best example of inclusion, not what we look like, but the value that we can bring to the conversation, to feel heard and respected. "   

While most people would define Tyson Foods as a food company, Adriana sees much more in the company she has been working at for nearly two decades - she describes it as an innovative organization that is transforming itself every day. "I have been here for almost 20 years. The change has been a constant, which is wonderful, and technology has been propelling the change.”

Technology is a core factor in innovation at Tyson Foods, bringing efficiency and safety to the team. "There is a convergence of the technology capabilities and the business initiatives in creating a better future for Tyson, its food products, and the industry as a result," said Adriana.

However, Adriana has always been aware that a genuinely innovative company doesn't focus only on technology but also invests in people. In 2007, she became a founding leader of the Multicultural Business Resource Group (BRG) at Tyson Foods and later the Chair of the Latinx Business Resource Group established in 2020. "This has been a very meaningful transition," she said. Through our Business Resource Groups, we’re able to say "We embrace diversity. We welcome the opportunity to celebrate the uniqueness of each demographic group and champion an environment of inclusion”

The Latinx Resource Group has three main pillars: business impact, team member development, and community outreach. Using the slogan Vamos Juntos, the Latinx BRG has dedicated lots of effort to motivating and inspiring the team. According to Adriana, it is a "call for action. "

Tyson Foods has embraced diversity, in some facilities Team Members speak more than 10 languages - Spanish is the second most spoken language at the company. Adriana takes pride in working for an organization that "makes a difference in the life of the Team Members" and promotes those initiatives through technology and education. "The things we have done are all connected to business impact," she said. 

The organization has a big focus on creating opportunities for promoting and upskilling its team and improving their life quality. "Whether it is English as a second language training, ensuring they have access to high school equivalent education or that we help them with their citizenship program," Adriana said. 

Communication became crucial for this process and the organization made investments to guarantee that the language barrier would no longer be an issue. "We speak to the Team Members in their native language," Adriana said. They aim to "communicate, engage and, most importantly, to activate our Team Members and give them a voice with real-time translation capabilities. "Those initiatives help to create opportunities, to promote inclusion and equity." 

 The Latinx BRG embraces and celebrates the uniqueness of the Hispanic and Latino heritage, championing an environment of inclusion and MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER as ONE TYSON to serve our Team Members and positively impact our communities.

Technology played an essential role in helping the company overcome language barriers, a significant issue in the past. Tyson Foods used devices to create a learning environment, and the team members felt much more empowered. "A couple of months ago, a team member was performing a task that was challenging and after having an opportunity to leverage rich media tools that we put at their fingertips to overcome the language barrier, he came back to the line, completed the task," Adriana said. "He looked back and said 'I learned it. I saw it and I did it,' and it was with a sense of pride. He just needed to see it and to have the confidence to do it himself." 

The last part of this transition was bringing Carlos Orta, Vice President & Chief DE&I Officer, and establishing a company-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council to help the organization focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. "It is the first time we’ve had a Chief DE&I Officer who is fully dedicated to helping us realize the dream of becoming the best place to work for ALL”," said Adriana. 

In the coming years, Adriana hopes to continue investing in technology, improving its products, and making sure Tyson Foods is still a company that welcomes people from any background. She is aware that diversity also adds a lot to the company by "having the perspective of our diverse Team Members embed on who we are at Tyson Foods."

After nearly two decades at Tyson Foods, Adriana is still as motivated as when she started. "I feel extremely proud to be able to say when I go to work, that I am making a difference," she said. "We have a very strong purpose to feed the world."