From Pharma to AgTech: Efraín Pompa’s Journey Across Continents

What happens when a global business leader decides to turn his life around and dedicate his career to farmers and climate change? You get the story of Efraín Pompa. For Efraín, now General Manager of Western Europe & Africa at eAgronom, agriculture also means resilience, reinvention, and building trust across cultures.

From the boardrooms of billion-euro pharma companies to small cooperatives in Africa and resellers in Europe, Efraín, whose career has been anything but conventional, calls Estonia his home now.

After decades at Coca-Cola, Abbott, Alcon, and UCB Pharma, a personal turning point led him to lose everything he had worked for, leave Mexico, start from zero in Europe, and eventually join eAgronom. Today, he works with farmers, resellers, authorities, and institutions to scale carbon projects - while staying grounded as a single father of three.

What led you to eAgronom, and what is your current role focused on?

I was working in the pharmaceutical industry as CEO, responsible for LATAM and Russia’s commercial strategy, based in Mexico. A family tragedy made me reconsider my priorities - my son was kidnapped, and getting him back cost me everything I had built over 30 years. After that, I decided to leave Mexico and find a safer place for my family and start from zero.

I moved to Berlin to do qualitative market research for pharma until the pandemic. During the pandemic, I got an offer from a pharma company in Estonia. I still wasn’t happy - I wanted to reinvent my career and not be pigeonholed in pharma, and to contribute to new projects. I applied to eAgronom, and here I am almost four years later.

Today, my focus is expanding carbon projects in Western Europe and Africa, developing strong partnerships with resellers, and supporting farmers.

You’re now leading eAgronom’s presence in Western Europe and Africa. What does your day-to-day look like?

First, I work to understand the farming business in each market: average land size per farmer, common practices, land ownership, local and regional organizations (cooperatives, farmers’ associations), key players in the industry (top fertilizer suppliers; whether inputs are supplied privately or by government), and the Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in the region. I also look at the common machinery used.

Then I select reliable partners (resellers) who fit eAgronom’s values. Most importantly, I map the farmer (customer) journey to understand what triggers actions toward our program. That can’t be done from internal data alone - you need to interview farmers, listen carefully to their needs, problems, and motivations. With that, I build the commercial strategy per country.

My personal priority is simple: keep resellers and farmers engaged in our carbon project. That means managing the reseller relationship; helping them enroll new farmers; coordinating field days with farmers and resellers; managing presentations with authorities, banks, and farmers’ associations; and handling administrative topics related to certification, fee payments, and communication with farmers.

You’ve spent years in international partnerships and alliances. What’s the key to strong, lasting collaborations?

Direct, honest, and clear communication, with expectations and priorities clarified on both sides - always aiming for a win-win relationship. To keep that communication alive, I maintain relationships daily, hold weekly web meetings, and prioritize face-to-face time. We share experiences and solve problems together based on eAgronom’s “Farmers First” principle.

What excites you most about working in agtech compared to pharma and other industries?

Starting a new business model that involves farmers, potential resellers, and local authorities - bringing strategies that increase soil health, help farmers maintain transgenerational land value, guarantee food (cereals) production by making regenerative strategies self-payable for farmers, and mitigate global warming.

I also enjoy creating awareness in different forums (fairs, congresses), on social media, and through lobbying with authorities. And I like sharing my experience from managing corporations with revenues bigger than billion euros per year with my colleagues and team members. Pharma taught me that documentation is key. Consumer industries (like Coca-Cola, British American Tobacco) depend 100% on distributors (resellers) - choosing and managing them strategically is essential. Across everything I’ve done, the consumer journey (now, the farmer journey) determines success or failure. In that sense, there’s no big difference in what I’m doing now.

You’ve worked with Coca-Cola, Abbott, Alcon, and UCB Pharma. What 4 lessons have you brought to eAgronom?

From my past roles, I’ve brought with me the importance of traceability in all documents and agreements, supported by clear procedures for resellers and farmers. I’ve also gained the ability to navigate complex negotiations with stakeholders, even those with difficult personalities. Just as important is maintaining a global business vision - understanding that true success comes not only from achieving commercial targets but also from meeting financial, certification, and broader company objectives to generate lasting value for eAgronom. Finally, I rely on strategic planning and farmer analysis as the foundation for building effective regional business models.

How would you describe your leadership style - especially for high-impact, cross-cultural teams?

Honest, clear, and open communication. The leader’s role is to be a facilitator - open closed doors, unblock bottlenecks, integrate common visions with other areas, and seek solutions together rather than just giving instructions or evaluations.

What’s a project or achievement at eAgronom you’re particularly proud of?

Opening the African market without having been there before, doing it remotely from Estonia through cold calls. By the time I first visited, we had more than 50,000 hectares enrolled. Also, gaining leadership among Spanish resellers is something I am proud of.

What surprised you most when entering African markets for the first time?

First, farmers’ willingness to implement new practices and how they received us with open minds and hearts. The average land size per farmer is around 1 hectare, and farming is largely hand labor, but cooperatives are highly structured. I was also impressed by the authorities’ openness to cooperate with us.

Looking back at your career, what’s one challenge that taught you the most?

Looking back at my career, one challenge was in pharma, where I took a declining off-patent portfolio and, by redefining the customer journey and targeting, turned it into a set of Latin American blockbusters within three years. Another was at British American Tobacco in Mexico, where I established a direct distribution chain to replace independent distributors.

But the challenge that taught me the most was leaving my role as CEO of a multinational company - where my decisions carried weight and my voice was always heard - to start again from scratch in Europe, in roles where nobody knew me. That experience showed me that the only thing no one can ever take away from you is your knowledge and experience. That is the real capital, and sooner or later, it will open new doors wherever you choose to build your life.

You’ve traveled extensively - what’s been your biggest adventure on the road?

I've had two great adventures on business trips:

In pharma, I once took 20 leading medical specialists to a conference in South Korea. For compliance reasons, the company had to guarantee that the trip was strictly academic, with a minimum number of workshop hours attended. One afternoon at lunch, the doctors discovered soju - a strong Korean spirit - and many ended up drunk, with some wandering off to strip clubs. My team and I spent the rest of the day tracking them down in bars and clubs, escorting them back to the venue so they could sign in. In the end, we still managed a 90% attendance rate - though two only reappeared the next day. The whole experience felt like playing police, dragging people into taxis to get them back on schedule. It’s something I’ll never forget.

Also, my first eAgronom trip to Kenya with Robin (CEO of eAgronom) was unforgettable. On the way to farms, we passed breathtaking landscapes, giraffes, and zebras. To make it even more surreal, one of our resellers was together with a famous Kenyan rap singer. Traveling with them through Nairobi and the surrounding provinces felt like being on the road with Jay-Z or Justin Bieber - everywhere we went, crowds gathered around the truck, asking for photos with the rapper and the Blonde “Mzungu”  beside him (Robin). 

Family often plays a big role in such an international career. How has your family influenced or supported your journey?

I’m a single father of three - one boy and two girls - whom I adopted more than 13 years ago. From the beginning, I’ve taught them that home is not just a place, but a feeling: it’s where you are loved, protected, and free to be yourself without masks or disguises. I’ve always told them that families are not formed by genetics, but by love and the role you choose to play in someone’s life. In the same way, I believe we can also choose our homeland. Your homeland isn’t necessarily where you were born, but where you are received with kindness and can live in peace. For us, that place has been Estonia. We chose this country as our home, and here we have built a life where we feel safe, supported, and truly happy.

Outside of work, what keeps you inspired or energized?

Challenges, like learning a new language and being in nature, fill me with energy. I love Estonia - a paradise with four seasons that you can fully enjoy. My family is also a source of inspiration and motivation to overcome any challenge that may arise.

What hobbies or activities outside of work give you energy?

I have two hobbies:

Go camping with my kids - from late spring to autumn, we go to forests, lakes, or beaches and restoring antique cars. Right now, my son and I are working on a 2002 VW Golf Cabrio; in Mexico, we restored a few VW Beetles.

I also enjoy working on house restoration, so we spend a lot of time on this. Those activities keep us productive, motivated, and also help family union and communication.

How do you like to spend your weekends or holidays with your family?

When we’re not camping, we like to cook Mexican-style food together and invite friends for lunch or dinner. We also go shopping together at Rocca al Mare, Kristiine, or Viru Keskus.

I’ve adopted a new tradition: sauna sessions. Some weekends I invite friends and neighbors to the sauna - we have beer, wine, snacks, and good conversations.

If someone asked you why they should join eAgronom, what would you tell them?

The best thing about eAgronom is the work environment - you can express yourself, contribute, and see how your contributions are reflected in the company’s growth. It’s a place where you can create and build in a harmonious environment… It’s like working with your best friends.

Finally, how would you complete this sentence: “Working at eAgronom is like…”?

Sailing in the Baltic Sea with your best friends around all the Estonian islands.