Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement - 40W

20151109-Sup1--0040-NAT-CCI-AN_--

11/2/2015

11:42 AM

Page 1

40W * NOVEMBER 9, 2015

●

"

"There needs to be more
engineering programs for females
at a younger age. Most of my
decision making with my
career was established
at 12 to 14 years old."

Global Engineering Director - Structural Systems
Division | Dura Automotive Systems | Auburn
Hills, Mich. | Age: 38 | Education: B.S.,
mechanical engineering, Kettering University
● What attracted you to the auto industry? I loved math
and science. I worked at a country club, and most of the
members were executives who worked for GM. They
encouraged me to go into engineering, specifically in the
auto industry.
● First automotive job: My first job here was working in
the lab designing and maintaining test fixtures - right
out of high school. I interned here at Dura for four and a
half years and then spent six months writing a thesis. I
was hired as a mechanical engineer and product
engineer in 1999.
● Big break: Early on, I was thrown to the wolves. I
started as a product engineer and had the opportunity to
work at Ford for three years. I was managing a product
line. The job had a lot of visibility, and I learned a lot.
Both Ford and my company noticed the job I was doing. I
was in launch mode and dealt with crisis situations
across four continents. It was a difficult position that
required a lot of travel. There were cultural issues to deal
with and, with this job, I earned the customer's respect.
● What is the major challenge you've faced in your
career? When we came out of bankruptcy, after the
recession, we experienced significant downsizing. We
lost a lot of good talent. The industry started performing
well again, and we had to reach out and rebuild our
team. Another factor: The industry was morphing into
something else. With the lightweighting we were doing on
our parts, it required engineers with different talent. My
product lines were changing, and light components were
needed. I had to find employees who had expertise in
aluminum, composites and hybrid design. We were
reaching out to universities to find people with the right
fit for this team.
● What should be done to encourage women to enter
the auto industry? There needs to be more engineering
programs for females at a younger age. Most of my
decision making with my career was established at 12 to
14 years old. We don't have enough programs at the
junior high or high school levels to encourage women into
math and science.
● Tell us about your family. I have a sister, and she is

everything to me. She is my best friend. She is the most
special person in the universe. I have a mother. My father
died when I was a teenager. I think dealing with that
impacted who I have become. I grew up in Fenton, Mich.
● What's your favorite weekend activity? I enjoy
gardening. I love running. I enjoy spending time with my
friends and family, and I'm a connoisseur of wine. I don't
take it too seriously, though. I also play hockey.
● Are you able to maintain friendships? Yes. I still talk
frequently to the girl I sat next to in kindergarten. Most of
my friends have been very significant - friendships from

JENEANNE HANLEY
Vice President, Global Trim and Craftsmanship |
Lear Corp. | Southfield, Mich. | Age: 43 |
Education: B.S., mechanical engineering,
University of Michigan
● What attracted you to the auto industry? My father
was an engineer at General Motors, so I knew all about
cars. When I was growing up, I had an awareness of the
automotive community. I wanted to work for GM or one of
the other car companies.
● First automotive job: My first job out of college was at
Lear as a seating engineer for the Chevy Cavalier and
Pontiac Sunbird. I was 21. I was terrified. I thought:
"What are they going to do when they find out I have no
idea what I'm doing?'"
● What is the major challenge you've faced in your
career? I was put in charge of the Chevy Volt program [in
2010]. Lear was the integrator [of the vehicle's electrical
system]. It was extremely stressful. Folks at GM and
Lear worked through the nights and on weekends, and
they skipped vacations. People were excited to be part of
it, but not everything was perfect, and it was a little bit
scary.
● Big break: [The Chevy Volt program] was my big break.
It gave me a lot of exposure. Our board of directors
wanted to know about it all the time. It was also a
personal turning point for me. A lot of us are always
thinking about what we need. [The Volt] made me think
about what I needed to do for my team.
● Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
Ray Scott [president of Lear's seat division]. A mentor is

●●●

kindergarten, high school and college, lifelong friends.
Friendships are a major priority for me.
● If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead,
who would it be? My dad.
● What's your guilty pleasure? Red wine and dark
chocolate.
● Name one talent you wish you had. I struggle with
foreign language, but I'm working on that now. I've hired
a German teacher.
- Marti Benedetti

●

somebody who takes a chance on
you. Whenever there was anything
that needed to be created, fixed or
improved, he was not afraid to give
me those assignments.
● What should be done to encourage
women to enter the auto industry?
I think we just need to market the
industry better. It's a terrific consumer
products industry. The design, the
marketing, the advertising, the brand
management, the sales - not to
mention global finance. I also think
there is a dated view of assembly
plants. They are clean, safe facilities,
but if you didn't grow up in Detroit, you
don't know what it means.
● Tell us about your family. I have
two kids, a 10-year-old son in fifth
grade and an 8-year-old daughter. My
husband had a 26-year career as a
sales director. When our oldest child
was 5, my husband retired, and he
stays home with our kids.
● What's your favorite weekend
activity? I like to spend a quiet Sunday morning with The
New York Times and a Starbucks, sitting on the couch
with my husband, reading. At night, we sit on the deck at
our house - or at a friend's house - in front of a fire
with a glass of wine, enjoying the company of friends and
family.
- David Sedgwick

"

"

JAMIE ZINSER

W O M E N

"

L E A D I N G

"I was 21. I was terrified. I thought:
'What are they going to do when
they find out I have no idea what
I'm doing?' "
Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement
