Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement - 92W

20151109-Sup1--0092-NAT-CCI-AN_--

11/2/2015

12:52 PM

Page 1

92W * NOVEMBER 9, 2015

L E A D I N G

W O M E N

●●●

FELICIA FIELDS

extraordinary hours.
● Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
●
Alan [Mulally]. The leadership shift that we went through,
setting up the One Ford plan, our expected behaviors,
Group Vice President, Human Resources and
really monitoring the culture, how we work, being very
Corporate Services | Ford Motor Co. | Dearborn,
included as a business leader versus just an HR
Mich. | Age: 50 | Education: B.A., psychology,
professional. Being on the senior team and him including
University of Michigan; M.S., administration,
everyone in that transformation was really impactful.
Central Michigan University
● What should be done to encourage women to enter
the auto industry? We need to be out telling our story
● What attracted you to the auto industry? I was first a
more about what's here. This industry is incredibly
summer intern back in 1985. I thought the company was
interesting. It's full of a lot of diversity, a lot of
really interesting. My father had worked here, so I'm third
technology, a lot of things that are fueled by insight and
generation. Both my grandfathers had.
relationships and working together. It's a place where
● First automotive job: Summer intern, age 20. I was
women's skill sets can be used and valued in enormous
actually hired in information technology, but I was
ways.
pursuing a degree in psychology. So they let me work in
● Tell us about your family. My husband was with Ford
things like training and needs assessment.
and he is now with Visteon, which spun off
At the time the only people who had
from Ford. We have two children. My
computers were the people in the
"We need to be
daughter's 24; she has her bachelor of
computing center. They had just made a
fine arts in graphic design, and my son is
out telling our
decision with IBM to purchase computers
studying hospitality business at Michigan
for the engineers. So they were looking for
story more about State University. He's a junior. My
someone who wasn't technical but could
daughter works for Aquent, which is a
what's here. This
help them think about how they get
creative services company, and her
engineers to use computers.
industry is
assignment is actually at Ford. She works
● Big break: The person I replaced was
with our electrified powertrain group.
incredibly
Joe Laymon. The first time I worked for
● What's your favorite weekend activity?
interesting."
him, in about 2000 when he joined the
I like shopping. I like gourmet foods and
company, he gave me the opportunity to
kitchen stuff. I love to cook. I can spend
interview for a position that was a couple of grades
three hours in a really good market debating between
higher than I was at the time. Just to be a candidate to
what types of apples or what new thing or new spice.
be interviewed was huge. Back then we were more
● What keeps you up at night? I've just learned that the
inclined to pick people by their seniority and whose turn
world is as it is. Every day there's going to be something
it was versus who we thought had the capability to do the
incoming, but you just put a plan together and you work
work. I did compete for the job [as head of HR for product
on it. I don't know if I'm losing sleep over it, but I'm
development], and I got it. That is really what opened up
concerned that there's not enough STEM talent -
my career path.
science, technology, engineering and math - for all the
● What is the major challenge you've faced in your
work and to fuel the dreams and the business plans that
career? My appointment to the head of HR back in 2008,
not only we have in this industry but in our nation, in our
right ahead of the recession. We had been laying off
world. I just think there's more we have to do to get more
employees by the thousands for a few years, which was
women, more under-represented minorities and people in
challenging enough. Assuming that leadership role right
general sticking with STEM fields.
before GM and Chrysler went into bankruptcy was
● Name one thing about yourself that most people
probably the most challenging period of my career. We
don't know. The fact that I'm introverted because I do so
were doing some unpopular things and working some
much public speaking and I facilitate a lot of meetings.

PAM HEMINGER

"

"

●

Division Manager, Business Division | Honda of
America Manufacturing | Marysville, Ohio | Age:
48 | Education: B.S., business administration,
Bowling Green State University; MBA, Capital
University
● What attracted you to the auto industry? My main
interest was to be an accountant. I had an internship in
Toledo in purchasing, and someone recommended
Bowling Green's purchasing program. It had a lot of
accounting-based requirements in purchasing but also a
lot of interface and negotiations with suppliers, so I
looked into it, transferred there and got my degree in
purchasing production.
I got a job at Lennox Industries, but I always had
aspirations to work at Honda. Honda was known to have
the best purchasing organization in manufacturing.
● First automotive job: Business administrative
coordinator at Honda in 1996
● Big break: I took on a whole lot of projects and was
actively involved in many pioneering efforts and was
never shy about trying new concepts. So it's just been a
compilation of multiple areas that have provided me with
a great opportunity here.
● What is the major challenge you've faced in your
career? My job is very project-based. I was given a
unique opportunity to lead the effort to fix a global
supply-chain problem in 2005, which lasted most of the
year. This supplier impacted most automakers in the
industry; it was a serious situation, and I was afforded
the opportunity to lead the project. It was a great
opportunity to represent Honda globally and to work with
the chain and ensure supply.
● Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
Personally, it would be my father. He was an individual

that was in his career for 40 years for the same
company. He had an incredible ability to work with people
and understand the value of people's contributions.
In my career, there are two people at Honda that really
helped me. The first was Larry Jutte, the former senior
vice president. He gave me the opportunity to
demonstrate my skills, and he put me in a position and
gave me projects that allowed me to represent myself
completely here at Honda and globally. The second
influencer on the career side was Tom Lake (Honda

My function, in HR, you're welcoming people, but my
preference is really to be alone and read stuff and go
deep and, like I say, lose myself for a few hours in a
market, just me and the fruit, not me and my 20 closest
friends.
● If I had it to do all over again, I'd ... I might have
paused a few more times just to reflect on how wonderful
it was along the way. When you're quite young, I think
people and society focus you on what's next instead of
what's exciting about what you're doing right now.
I'm one of those few people who's come all the way up
through one company, from intern to corporate officer -
that's kind of rare. I've never lived more than 50 miles
from where I was born, which is also kind of rare. I don't
think there will be too many people who will grow up
inside of Ford the way I did, in that same mold, because
the world has changed so much. But it's been an
incredible company, an incredible journey, and hopefully
there's a lot more excitement ahead.
- Nick Bunkley

North America's purchasing chief). He's always been
candid about which career opportunities I should pursue.
● What should be done to encourage women to enter
the auto industry? We have a different level of
technology now than we did when I was coming up. And
that affords a lot of flexibility, which is the key that we
need to embrace as an industry. I would have loved to
have that when I was raising a family. I was pleased with
a situation recently where we had a really smart, very
capable female engineer, and while she was on
maternity leave, we worked out a solution that made sure
we retained her. We put her in a really strategic position
that allowed her a lot of flexibility. It was great for her,
and it was great for us. That's the kind of thing we need
to do for women.
● Tell us about your family. I'll tell you more about my
father. He is not degreed; he entered the glass-making
industry as an operator on the line. I come from a family
of five kids, so it was challenging, but he was successful
at his company and ended up working in multiple global
markets and is considered a master craftsman and
trained others in the trade.
Personally, I have two great kids. My son is a senior in
high school, and my daughter is a sophomore.
● What's your favorite weekend activity? I'm rarely
home on weekends. Both my kids play ice hockey, so
since Columbus is new to the world of ice hockey, we
travel to most games. I spend a lot of time driving around
the U.S. and Canada taking my kids to hockey events. I
love it because I spend time with my kids.
● Name one thing about yourself that most people
don't know. I'm very involved in developing women's
hockey in Columbus. I do everything involved with
developing a team; it's almost like it's a company and
my product is the girls. My daughter already has a
college scholarship to play hockey, so now I'm focused
on other girls that are smart and talented that deserve a
similar opportunity.
- David Undercoffler
Automotive News - November 9, 2015 - Supplement

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