Natalie Hurd

Chemical & Dye Buyer

Milliken & Company

Please meet this week’s WOTW, Natalie Hurd. Natalie started with Milliken 4 years ago, and has since had several different roles including customer service and sourcing with the company. Prior to joining Milliken, Natalie worked in community based and human services roles. Natalie studied psychology before entering the workforce. We talked a lot about Natalie's transition into the chemical industry. She shared with us that she felt a lot of the skills she strengthen while working with her communities were transferrable to her entry into Milliken which was in Customer Service. Natalie also highlighted how intentional she was about trying to learn, and how she had to network with her counterparts to learn as much as she could about the industry. She shared with us how she leaned on her mentors early on, and that she still meets with some of those mentors 4 years after entering the industry! Natalie shared that she had people in her network that were willing to pull her into other initiatives to learn more about the company and the skills needed to be successful. Natalie taught us about her curiosity, her work-ethic, and her humility throughout this interview.

When asked about the barriers or challenges she has faced in her roles, she discussed with us the difficulties that come with having her teams and resources remote during a time in which she needed to be close to them to learn. We talked a bit about navigating through environments in which people question your your unique background and fitness for your role. Natalie also shared with us advice for her current role as a buyer; "be as good of a customer as we want our customers to be for us."

When discussing how to navigate through the tougher days, Natalie leans on the concept of leading with grace. You never know what someone has going on and Natalie tries to approach everyone and every conversation with grace.

This episode was sponsored by: