Influential Woman · Procurement

Enesa Niksic

Global Procurement Lead, Trans & WH NA Bulk, Bayer

St. Louis, MO

1Award received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree St. Louis University Degree Graduated 2002 Member Bosnian woman-owned non-profit association Member Bayer diversity program Member WeBank (women-owned businesses) Member NMSDCC conference participation

Her Story

About Enesa

I came to the United States as a refugee from Dubrovnik, Croatia in 1993 when I was young, with my parents who are from Bosnia. My dad didn't speak any English, but he worked hard and hustled to provide for us. I had to file my own applications for college and pay for my own school. I graduated from St. Louis University in 2002. I became a mom really early in my life, and the first 10 years I held jobs, but they weren't really career-oriented jobs. After taking 10 years focusing more on my two girls and their growth, my biggest achievement is coming back into the career world and finding a job within a reputable company in corporate America. I started with 10 years of logistics experience working in different positions from trucking to brokerage. In 2015, I joined what used to be Legacy Monsanto Company in procurement. Within my career with Monsanto and Bayer, I've held multiple different positions in indirect and direct space across different categories to broaden my experiences. I've managed raw materials for plants, done marketing, management consulting, and finance. Now I am in the North America warehousing and logistics space where I manage the bulk side of things. I really grew within 10 years from an entry-level position to a contract director position in operations to being a lead in one of the categories. I've been able to raise my kids while growing my career and having that work-life balance. One of my daughters is graduating from college in May, and the other one is starting college in May. They're going to be two college degree educated women. I hope to be able to retire one day from this company.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Enesa

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to self-development and taking responsibility for my own growth. I'm a true believer that no matter how many mentors and coaches you have, it's really on you. You have to be ready to prove yourself and look for opportunities, because nothing is handed in this world. People work hard for where they are in life, and I know I worked hard to be where I'm at. You have to believe in yourself, don't give up, be a hustler, and put yourself out there. As long as you have that drive, you can be whatever you want. I also credit my parents for pushing me to get an education, even though they came to this country as refugees speaking zero English. My dad worked hard and hustled to provide for us, and that example taught me the value of perseverance. Being able to balance my career growth with raising my family and maintaining work-life balance has been key to my success.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

You have to fight for yourself. I am a true believer that self-development, no matter how much we'll have mentors and coaches and things like that, but really, it's on you. You have to be ready to prove yourself. Look for opportunities. Nothing's handed in this world. People work hard for where they are in this life. I know I worked hard to be where I'm at. Believe in yourself. Don't give up. Be a hustler. Put yourself out there. As long as you have that drive, you can be whatever you want. It's funny because my daughter just started a big girl job, and I gave her this advice too.

03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Work-life balance is incredibly important to me. Being able to grow my career while focusing on my family and having that balance is one of my biggest achievements. My biggest focus has always been having a career, but within my career, there's only a certain level that I want to be at and be satisfied and be happy in life and still have time for my family. Different people want different things out of life, and to me, it's really about where you are, where you're at, and where you want to be. I make sure that there's things we do as a family, like our annual ski trip every year, going to the beach, and spending time with my kids and my husband. Spending time and making those memories is important for me.

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