Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Amanda Archila Of Fairtrade America Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Martita Mestey
When you become a manager, you have to master the art of managing up, managing down, and managing across. Impressing your boss won’t matter if people don’t value working for you and working with you.
As a part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda Archila.
Amanda Archila serves as Executive Director of Fairtrade America, where she leads the organization in increasing market access for Fairtrade farmers and workers by cultivating impact-driven relationships with businesses and expanding consumer demand for Fairtrade goods. Archila’s roots in the fair trade movement began as a student activist and through the launch of a domestic fair trade certification in India with cotton farmers. Since then, Archila has gained more than 15 years of experience working in a range of industries, from natural food to e-commerce retail and consumer electronics.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in Maryland outside of Washington D.C. and had a passion for both business and social justice at an early age. I turned a profit selling handmade potholders and jewelry to neighbors and classmates when I was a budding middle school entrepreneur, and was able to travel to El Salvador throughout high school on youth delegations, where I came to understand firsthand how global systems of power have a disproportionate impact on those living in poverty. I was deeply humbled and inspired by those fighting for change.
You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
Farming is the single largest industry in the world, yet millions of people who grow our food are not earning enough to feed themselves or their families. We are working to change this injustice through our simple yet powerful approach — making trade fairer.
Fairtrade America is working to create more equitable and sustainable trade in collaboration with nearly 2 million farmers and workers by inspiring businesses to implement and certify ethical production practices and empowering shoppers to make informed purchasing decisions.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I was primarily introduced to the fair trade movement as an undergraduate student activist at NYU. At the time, negotiations around free trade agreements laid bare some of the fundamental risks that global trade policy has on farmers and workers living in poverty around the world, and it seemed like there was a better way. Fair trade activists were dedicated to finding solutions, and certification was one critical tool in that toolbox for justice.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
I don’t think I’ve had a particular “Aha Moment” or final trigger for me to step up and pursue my passions; and in fact, I think if I had waited for one, I may not have ended up taking advantage of the doors that have opened for me over the years. Some aspects of my career, particularly early on, have been driven fully by passion and gut, and others by conscientious decision-making where I knew I would have to make short term sacrifices to reach long term goals. While not always linear or intuitive, I have been driven since day one by the personal conviction that I will eventually find my way to being a leader for positive change.
It has been said, that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake that you made when you were first starting and the lesson you learned from that?
When I started out in sales at Divine Chocolate, I booked a flight to meet with an important retail buyer, and the flight was scheduled to land just a couple of hours before the meeting. As I was headed to the airport, I got stuck in horrific traffic and went into a full panic. I barely made the flight, but the anxiety of that moment has stuck with me for years. I learned a few critical lessons that have saved me since: 1) Always book a flight to land the night before an important meeting! 2) Give yourself grace- things happen, and people are more understanding than you think. 3) As a people manager, always ensure your team does #1 and #2.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
The past few years, particularly in the isolation of the pandemic, reiterated for me how critical it is to have cheerleaders and advocates in my corner from every aspect of my life. There were many moments during that period where my personal conviction simply wasn’t enough to assure me that I was on the right path. In times of uncertainty, I had friends from childhood reach out to remind me of my roots, classmates from business school find ways to connect while I was wrangling a newborn to reaffirm that I was making the right decisions, and work colleagues who were championing me every step of the way. I am tremendously grateful for the role that each of them have and continue to play in my life.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
The origin of the word “radical” is a Latin word meaning “of or pertaining to the root,” and so I’ve always embraced the term and encouraged those around me to think about how they can be radicals everyday with the particular intention of working to address the true root cause of a problem. In facing the challenge of creating more equitable trade, we can do this personally by changing our consumption habits, such as buying Fairtrade during our weekly shopping trip and encouraging our employers to do the same in the products they source. The private sector must step up and recognize that they have a responsibility to invest in the livelihoods of those who work hard and take great pride in the goods they produce, and they can partner with Fairtrade to work toward true partnership throughout the value chain. Importantly, the private sector also needs the guardrails of public policy to hold them accountable, and politicians must meaningfully implement enforceable legislation to limit the risks of exploitative global supply chains.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
There are many data points that tell us that the market for sustainable goods continues to grow: The 2021 Sustainable Market Share Index™ found that sustainability-marketed products were responsible for a third of growth in consumer packaged goods from 2015 to 2021, and market share growth continues year over year. However, I’m not sure that at the end of the day, the right question is “how can a business become more profitable by becoming more sustainable”- to me, the question is, “how can businesses be a part of the collective societal imperative to put people and planet first?” One critical way to do that is to ensure that their supply chains, which the last few years have shown us are incredibly vulnerable, are built with transparency, accountability, and compassion. Through partnering with Fairtrade, businesses can find a path towards that goal.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- You are your own best advocate. You will have great bosses and not so great bosses over your career. Regardless, you should be vocal and clear with what you want and need. Interested in taking on a different project? Looking to become a people manager? Let it be known, and proactively build a network of advocates who will champion your development. Don’t expect your manager to do it for you.
- You don’t need decision-making power to be a great leader. Great leaders are new hires asking the question no one has asked before. Great leaders are knowledgeable peers mentoring others who need help. Great leaders identify a defect that’s slowing down their team and proactively offer a solution. Great leaders speak up and deftly challenge decision-makers when they see a problem that needs fixing.
- When you become a manager, you have to master the art of managing up, managing down, and managing across. Impressing your boss won’t matter if people don’t value working for you and working with you.
- You can hold a high bar for performance and still build a culture of trust. Challenging others to do better is not mutually exclusive to a psychologically safe work environment. But trust comes first.
- Take time to learn how to pronounce others’ names. Names (and pronouns!) are reflective of someone’s identity — don’t be careless with something so important. Ask how to pronounce a person’s name, and gently call out others when they are mispronouncing a name you know.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
The most important thing I would tell others is that you don’t have to choose to have a positive impact at the expense of all else. We all have our own journey and seasons in our lives that allow us opportunities to have impact in different ways — we can have impact in the jobs that we have, the personal time we volunteer, how we invest our money, and how we exercise our right to vote. There is tremendous urgency to improving livelihoods and reversing the damaging course of climate change, but it is a collective effort with each of us uniquely contributing to the work — find your unique contribution, in whatever way you can.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Early on I was given the advice that your career is “a mosaic to create rather than a ladder to climb,” with each experience helping to fill in one piece of the beautiful image you ultimately design. It allows for exploration, deviation and creativity rather than what can feel like a relentless trek to the top. This approach has freed me up to consider options that ignite my curiosity as much as build my resume.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I have long admired the career of Carla Vernón, who recently took over as the CEO of The Honest Company, and critically, became the first Afro-Latino/a CEO of a U.S. publicly traded company. I first came to hear about her when she took the lead of the natural & organic division at General Mills, managing some top brands that I love including Annie’s and EPIC Provisions. She then jumped over to Amazon as the VP of Consumables while I was at the company as well, and I heard tremendous things about her leadership. It would be great to pick her brain over brunch about best practices in leadership, the future of the CPG industry, and how to drive ambitious and compassionate company cultures. And hey, once a sales person, always a sales person, so I might pitch her on The Honest Company going Fairtrade as well!
How can our readers follow you online?
You can find me on LinkedIn, and you can follow Fairtrade America @FairtradeMarkUS on Instagram and Facebook or learn more at FairtradeAmerica.org.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes Helping Our Planet: Why & How Amanda Archila Of Fairtrade America Is Helping… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.