William Hale is a distinguished executive with 22+ years of experience at the intersection of corporate strategy, global operations, and transformational leadership. At Cargill — one of the world's largest private enterprises — he rose to Chief of Global Operations for Corporate Strategy & Development, overseeing 155 employees across offices in Belgium, China, Singapore, and the United States. In that role he drove employee engagement from 60% to over 90% while doubling retention rates. Earlier, as Group Strategy Leader for Cargill's Agricultural Supply Chain North America — a $25B+ business with 5,000+ employees — he developed and executed a five-year strategy that combined four business units and delivered more than $100M in incremental operating earnings. He also served as Global Strategy Lead for Animal Nutrition, managing $200M+ in capital spending across a 41-country portfolio and contributing to a $1.4B acquisition of global aquaculture nutrition company EWOS.

Today, William is Founder of Active Compass LLC, a fractional advisory firm providing Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer services alongside executive coaching to organizations across agriculture and multiple industries. He also serves as Owner-Operator and EVP of Strategy at Pergena Systems (formerly PermanentFarming), a circular agriculture and energy infrastructure company built on a "Food, Fuel, Fertility" model that integrates beef cattle barn campuses, manure-to-RNG anaerobic digestion, and biofertilizer loops. He additionally serves as Advisory Board Member of the Dobkin Intuitive Foundation, supporting entrepreneur development and capital access in the Tampa Bay region.

Beyond his operating roles, William brings 15+ years of board governance experience across corporate, nonprofit, and civic organizations — including current board service with The Tampa Club and The Culinary Legacy Foundation, and prior service on the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and others. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a B.S. in Management Information Systems and holds certifications in Catalyst Leadership (INSEAD), Green Belt Six Sigma, and life coaching. Based in Tampa, Florida, he is recognized for a servant-leadership style that emphasizes transparency, stakeholder ownership, and measurable, people-centered results.