Debby Robins:  

I was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia and received my BA in Business Administration from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Upon graduation, I went to work for Hoechst Celanese, a German based multi-national chemical manufacturing business. I worked in purchasing and business planning before becoming the first female sales representative. Within three years I became “Salesman of the Year.” I began handling the companies major accounts including Eli Lilly, Mallinckrodt and Monsanto. After sales, I went into product management and then into marketing management. I have traveled extensively throughout the United States and over 20 countries, including communist Hungary, negotiating for new business, chemical trades, and managing a sales force. In 1988, Monsanto Agriculture pursued me for a strategic planning position. They were looking for women on the director level who had a proven track record in sales and marketing management. I moved to St. Louis and began pursuing an MBA at Washington University, while working and traveling full time. As part of my MBA program, I spent two weeks in Tokyo studying “Total Quality Management.” Upon graduation, I was promoted into Roundup Marketing Management – the first billion-dollar herbicide. Our team developed and implemented the step-down pricing strategy to face patent expiration. Monsanto also asked me to solve the problem of developing inside talent for management. I created and managed the Leadership Training Program. This program provided cross functional training for candidates designated for management positions. As a result of my industry contacts, I also wor...Expand for more