Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement - 60W

20151109-Sup1--0060-NAT-CCI-AN_--

11/2/2015

12:03 PM

Page 1

60W * NOVEMBER 9, 2015

L E A D I N G

W O M E N

OLGA ALAVANOU

●●●

●

Executive Vice President, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler
Business Units | Yazaki North America | Canton, Mich. |
Age: 53 | Education: B.S., electrical engineering, Wayne
State University; MBA, University of Detroit Mercy
● What attracted you to the auto industry? I always had a love for
math and science, so I pursued a degree in engineering. Of course,
being in Detroit, the automotive industry was right there. When I
graduated, I had an offer from Ford Motor Co.
● First automotive job: Contract engineer with Chrysler in 1988 in
product development with body electronics
● Big break: At Yazaki, I was part of the team that was responsible
to grow our business with General Motors. We developed the
strategy on where we wanted to go with this customer, what our
footprint should look like in the future and how we were going to
execute the strategy. As part of that initiative, I got very much
involved in how Yazaki is structured globally. That was an amazing
experience.
● What is the major challenge you've faced in your career? The
downturn was certainly a tough time for all of us. We had to rightsize the resources. That was something that was never done. Yazaki
is very Japanese. To have to lay off people was extremely difficult. I
was part of that. Since then, we have recovered. Now, the challenge
is the total opposite. We have lots of business. We're experiencing
growth globally with all our customers. It's extremely important how
we manage capacity demands from all our customers.
● What should be done to encourage women to enter the auto
industry? I had so many discussions on this lately. There's a huge
decline in the number of women who decide to pursue engineering,
STEM-type subjects. We have to decide how we can pursue these
young ladies in high school to be more interested in those subjects
that naturally will open the doors for a career in automotive. When
they enter automotive, we need to understand what we need to do
to keep them. There are a huge number who start, stay for a few
years and leave.
It's a demanding industry - long hours, tough schedule. So
perhaps, when they start managing career and family, they choose to
get into a career that is going to provide more flexibility. Even though
it's much easier to be promoted as a female in this industry, you still
see how few of us are at the top jobs. Maybe a lot of these women
do not understand how they can adapt their management style to fit
in the corporate culture.
● Tell us about your family. I have a very supportive family that are
willing to put up with my long hours, my difficult schedule. They
never complain, definitely starting with my husband, who has been
extremely supportive, and my son also.
● Are you able to maintain friendships? We have a very active
social life. We have a lot of couple friends. If I had more time, I
would have more female friends. It's unfortunate. I'm usually the
one who can't commit the time. I've seen my mom, who is 75, and
she has got friendships she had in high school. It's so lovely to see.
● Best advice you've ever gotten? To pursue my dreams. Perhaps
not to have fear. If I want something, to make it happen, to just go
out and get it and to not be intimidated by the unknown and to be
willing to take calculated risks in my career. Work hard and count on
myself.
- Bradford Wernle

BRADFORD WERNLE

>> HAVING HER SAY:
autonews.com/faloticovideo

JOY FALOTICO
Executive Vice President, Marketing
and Sales, Americas and Strategic
Planning | Ford Motor Credit Co. |
Dearborn, Mich. | Age: 48 | Education:
B.S., business, Truman State
University; MBA, DePaul University
● What attracted you to the auto industry?
When I graduated, I got a job offer from Ford,
and I had two job offers at the same time.
Ford was No. 3 on the Fortune 500 list. The
other company was No. 5. I was trying to
decide between the two, and that ranking
influenced me.
The other job was more money and it was a
supervisory position, while Ford was less
money, and it was an entry-level. But I liked
the culture and felt a sense of belonging in the
interview process with Ford. I let that Fortune
500 ranking be my rationale for picking less
money.
● First automotive job: In 1989 in Kansas
City, I had an entry-level position in customer
service for Ford.
● Big break: My career has been more of a
journey, and I've had lots of opportunities to
do 20 different jobs. My biggest break was
being named vice president of global
marketing, building upon my previous
experience in Europe, with its diversity and
complexity. Everything we get to touch in
marketing globally, working with Ford, working
with dealers and working in all the different
regions, has been a good experience.
● What is the major challenge you've faced
in your career? Probably the biggest challenge
was during the downturn from 2008 to 2010. I
actually was in Europe in 2008 and we started
seeing a knock-on impact to what was going
on in the U.S. to Europe in our Spanish
market. It was the first one to have economic

●

issues, and we had to reorganize our business
there. Then I came back to the U.S. in 2009,
and we were in the throes of the restructuring.
● Who has had the biggest influence on your
career? Early on, my mother had a big
influence on who I am, certainly as a
professional. She led by example. A strong
work ethic and perseverance and, really, a
sense of responsibility were some things she
instilled in me. She was a working woman, so
that's all I ever knew. She was a manager for
a telecommunications company.
● What should be done to encourage women
to enter the auto industry? We need a really
strong educational effort on the opportunities
in the auto industry. There are global and
regional opportunities. And also with the
convergence we're seeing with auto and
technology, there are so many more
technology jobs that are becoming available.
● Tell us about your family. I have a very
engaged and supportive husband, and I have
two girls, 13-year-old Natalie and 11-year-old
Nicole. My husband is a sales manager at a
dealership, so he understands the industry. I've
moved with Ford, so since I have relocated here
to the Detroit area, I have no immediate family
in the area and no pets because we work so
many hours. But this is where it's really good to
have a supportive husband. And it takes a lot of
organization and planning to pull it all off. Good
neighbors are helpful as well.
● Do you spend time with friends? I have a
very active and social neighborhood that I am
fortunate to live in. I have some good friends
there that support me and my family as we
juggle the kids.
● What's your favorite weekend activity? I
love to kind of take a breath and get
organized. Spending time with my family is the
No. 1 thing I do on the weekends.
- Hannah Lutz

http://www.autonews.com/faloticovideo

Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement

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