LEADERS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY: INTERVIEW WITH CHERYL THOMPSON

Cheryl Thompson is the Director of Prototype at American Axle & Manufacturing and Founder of CADIA (The Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement), an organization dedicated to doubling the number of women leaders in the automotive industry by 2030.

Cheryl has 30 years of experience at Ford Motor Co. and has held positions in skilled trades, operations, engineering, and leadership. She is a Six Sigma trained and certified Black Belt and is the winner of two Diversity and Inclusion Awards from Ford Motor Company.

In November, Cheryl will join us at the American Automotive Summit to speak about the components and decision-making tips that are critical to any team’s success as well as the mistakes that leaders should avoid.

“Focus on the high-impact things that are going to impact the bottom line and stop working on the low-value tasks and activities that you’re doing to people please.”

Questions discussed:

• How would you describe your leadership style?
• What are the most important minutes of the day to sustain and grow your organizational goals?
• What is the best piece of advice you’ve received in your career?
• What was the toughest challenge you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
• From your perspective, what is the current state of the automotive manufacturing landscape?
• What are some of the new and exciting initiatives taking place at AAM and CADIA?
• What do you think the greatest challenge is that automotive manufacturing executives face?

Cheryl will speak at the 2018 American Automotive Summit on her topic, “Building Engaged Teams That Drive Operational Excellence.”