Archer Daniels Midland 2006 Annual Report Download - page 7

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a culture that fosters strong ethics. Staying safe, managing costs and enabling capital
discipline round out the priorities that will enable us to arrive at our ultimate destination:
sustained profitable growth.
I have asked each member of our senior leadership team to champion a key area to drive
this progress. Our goal is to create the conditions where our people can contribute the
best that is in them, where they unite around deeply held values and a shared view of
what we want to accomplish, and where they feel supported, appreciated and inspired to
do the best work of their lives.
Looking Forward
As the world’s need for food and biofuels grows, competitive advantage will go to
companies that recognize and are able to respond to the interconnected nature of
these needs. We are such a company. Our strengths include: strong relationships with
farmers, access to crops, agricultural processing expertise, the ability to produce a variety
of products, the agility to align production with changing market needs, innovative
partnerships with customers, and the extensive logistical capabilities to link crops to
products and products to markets. In the pages of this annual report, you will read about
some of the actions we are taking to build on these strengths. More importantly, you will
meet some of the people through whom we see and realize opportunity.
A discussion of opportunity would not be complete without expressing our gratitude
to Allen Andreas, Chairman of the Board, whose leadership positioned our Company
to capitalize on our opportunity. I am grateful for the encouragement and wise counsel
he has given me. I also want to thank all of our directors for their support and for the
enthusiasm with which they view our future.
Finally, this letter began with the message: We see opportunity. By focusing on the
unprecedented opportunity in both food and biofuels and by emphasizing ADM’s historic
and emerging strengths, we move forward with a new sense of purpose—one that
invigorates the long-running performance of our Company.
Patricia A. Woertz
Chief Executive Officer and President
5
Archer Daniels Midland Company / 2006 Annual Report