Leading Women - 56W

56W * NOVEMBER 9, 2020

debbie MANZANO

 Plant Manager, Dearborn Truck Plant | Ford Motor Co.
| Dearborn, Mich. | Age: 48 | Education: B.S., math and
statistics, and M.S., industrial engineering, University of
Michigan
What drew you to the auto industry? I grew up in the Detroit
area. This is the Motor City; it's what people do. My dad worked for
Ford for over 30 years. He wouldn't let anybody drive anything
other than a Ford in the family. He wouldn't let anything other
than a Ford park in our driveway. He always said he bled blue, so I
think that was in me growing up. Growing up
in the Motor City, I have a love for cars. It was a
natural fit.
First automotive job: I graduated with my
bachelor's in '94, and I started at Ford right after that. I came in as an intern for the summer
then started full time. I was a quality engineer,
doing a lot of process improvements, quality
auditing. I started at the Glass Plant at the
Rouge.
Big break: When I got out of engineering
and into my first managerial position. Somebody really sponsored me and really had faith
in me to do that. I didn't necessarily have all
the qualifications but I worked really hard,
worked long hours and did whatever I had to
because I wanted to be successful, even
though it was a steep learning curve. It was at
the end of 1999, at Ford's Edison Assembly plant in New Jersey.
What is the major challenge you've faced in your career? My
move to New Jersey was a challenge, but I was young so I never
looked back; I think you're more fearless when you're young.
Moving to a brand-new location, where I didn't know anybody, I
had to figure out how to get on the inside. Coming into that, I was
an outsider. They didn't know me, didn't trust me probably, so it
was getting to get in that inner circle and develop those relationships. The other big challenge, when I went to Michigan Assembly
when we were launching the brand-new electric Focus and
C-Max. That was a first for the company, and it was really challenging. I had just moved there as a manager of the Final Assembly
shop. I worked 365 days straight without a vacation or day off in
order to be successful and be strong and show that I could do it.
You've been in the industry 26 years. What has been the
most important change you've seen? It's the culture. I had the

suzana CIZMIC

 Vice President, Commercial Plant Manager | Bosch
| Farmington Hills, Mich. | Age: 51 | Education: B.S.,
economics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University; M.S.,
finance, Walsh College

What drew you to the auto industry? I was born and I studied in Macedonia. I moved to the U.S. to pursue my master's
degree. I wanted to experience a different kind of life. I got two
jobs; was at a tool-and-die shop. I was so curious, I was going
into the shop floor all the time. From there, I
really stayed in automotive.
First automotive job: My first automotive
job was in 1993, and I was the financial analyst at the tool-and-die shop.
Big break: I would say it was coming to
Bosch. When I was younger, I always wanted
to work in a traditional company. I wanted to
be a part of something that was bigger and
was changing and was innovative. That was
really the pivotal moment for my career because Bosch gives you so much opportunity
to experience and to be challenged.
What is the major challenge you've faced
in your career? The challenge to go on an international assignment in Germany. I was given an opportunity to be a global
project lead for a post-merger integration. For me, going there,
being in a different environment, having a job that I had not
done before, I had to realize, how am I going to be successful?
How do I get these people together, to trust me? That was a
challenge on its own, to get people there to understand - in
addition to the processes and systems - the culture [of Bosch].
You've been in the industry 25 years. What has been the
most important change you've seen? In the last 10 years, we
are experiencing a very big, steep change. Every day, we have
something new, and it's beautiful. I would say the change is for
some, uncomfortable. You want to be an expert in everything.
You want to do everything good. And then, you come to an industry where you're changing all the time. In one day, we live
three-dimensionally. You learn from the past, you apply in the
present, and then, you're looking at scenarios for the future.
What work achievement are you most proud of? I truly,
truly care about people. That's really what makes me unique and
an authentic leader. I'm very courageous. I'm not afraid of any

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opportunity to be the co-chair of Women of Ford in 2017 for manufacturing. To be able to be part of that change in our environment
and culture, it's been so rewarding. As I took on that chair role, it
allowed me to help people and help the company. It's this whole
[idea] of being uncomfortable and having these conversations we
didn't used to have.
What work achievement are you most proud of? I'm the plant
manager at Dearborn Truck Plant. When I got the job I, just about
fell out of my chair I was so excited. We call it the jewel of the company and we produce these F-150s every 53 seconds off the line,
seven days a week, so it's a business in itself. I love it.
What do you struggle with? Being an introvert in manufacturing, you always have to make sure you're heard. You have to have a
voice. Sometimes you don't always put yourself out there and hesitate to say something.
I've had to learn to be much more outspoken
in my career and compete with the male voices
out there, who always think they're right. I
have a habit of doing a lot of research and [using] data to make sure I don't say something
wrong. People want to hear you. They don't
want somebody at the table who's going to be
quiet.
Describe your leadership style. I think I'm a
good listener. I always go into a situation listening because it's important to hear what
people have to say. People say I'm easy to talk
to. And I'm very comfortable with people coming up to me. I may be introverted but I really
do feed off the people in the plant.
How do you bring your best self to work?
I've been doing yoga for about 10 to 12 years. It really puts you in
the present and teaches you not to be reactive when there is a situation. I have a positive energy circle I carry with me and share it
with all the people I work with. When things happen I've learned
to breathe and work through the situation.
Are you able to achieve work-life balance? It cycles, so you
have to take advantage of it when you can. You know when you
have a product launch, you just commit to the job. I get that and
my husband also works for Ford, so he gets that as well. We're getting ready to ramp up for the new F-150, so I'll be committed 100
percent until the end of the year.
If there were 25 hours in a day, how would you spend your
extra hour? I love to sleep. I get up early, but I go to bed early. I try
to get my seven hours of sleep. This sounds terrible, but if I had an
extra hour I would sleep.
- Michael Martinez

challenge because I believe when you put your mind and heart
in it, you will do everything. You have to believe in yourself.
What do you struggle with? There are three things that you
always have to be on your toes for to run life well. For me: my
family - that's my husband and my daughter and also my parents - my health and also the company and the business. If one
of them is not aligned, I don't think a person can be successful.
Describe your leadership style. I give a chance to everybody to express what they think. If you don't give a chance to
everybody, you form blind spots. You have to have a diverse
team, and you need to know that that's part of the success. I like
the moment when everybody starts talking and giving ideas,
and it's like a fireball. I liked that when I was in
that position with my leaders. It's open, fair,
having trust and having fun.
What have you learned from the COVID-19
crisis? You have to really get together with the
team and discuss, what is the priority now under COVID? What are we going to do to make
the business successful, still invest in strategy
and still have our associates healthy? It's difficult. We don't see each other face-to-face; however, you have many ways to communicate. But
you have to keep everybody informed.
Is there anything you wish you had done
differently in your career? Usually, I don't regret what I do. Maybe in my second company, I stayed too
long, I would say. I like challenge, and I stayed there for 11
years. I always embrace challenge, but somehow it was a comfort. If I had done that and then I moved to Bosch earlier, I
maybe would have experienced even more things.
What should be done to encourage women to enter the auto
industry? You think if it's the automotive industry, it is more
male-dominated. We've realized it doesn't matter what industry
it is, it matters what's in your heart what you want to accomplish.
We need to be their advocates for that. We need to really tell these
young ladies out there it is really good and cool to work here.
Tell us about your family. My birth family - my mom and
my dad - they still live in Macedonia. I have a brother; he's in
Michigan. They are the core for me, for my success. Here, my
"new" family is my husband and my daughter; she is 15 years
old. I would say that my family, my parents, my husband and
my daughter, they're the support to me. They're my rock.
That's how I am successful.
- Alexa St. John

claudia MARQUEZ

 CEO | Hyundai Motor Mexico | Mexico City | Age: 48
| Education: B.A., business administration, Alexander
Von Humboldt German School
What drew you to the auto industry? I was born in Mexico, but went to a German-language school, including for
my bachelor's degree. When I finished, I wanted to work for
a German company. I thought it would make sense to use
my language skills and knowledge of the culture. I started
working for a German chemical company, and three years
later I heard that BMW was going to start operations in
Mexico. They were looking for people who were fluent in
Spanish and English and German. I sent my resume, got an
interview and finally got an offer.
First automotive job: I was an assistant to the area manager for marketing and sales responsible for Central America. It was October 1995.
Big break: When I became a director for the first time. It
was a great accomplishment because the company was
very new in Mexico and all the [top executives] were German. So, I got to be the first non-German director in Mexico, for marketing, sales and dealer development.
What is the major challenge you've faced in your career? When I decided to leave BMW. I worked for the company for 17 years. It is an amazing brand and it was a great employer for me. At some point in time I had the feeling I wanted
the experience of working for a volume brand rather than only for luxury. I was thinking about it, and then I got an interesting offer from Nissan - marketing director for Mexico and
Latin America. But suddenly to jump to a completely unknown company, with a completely different culture, you have to
start more or less from
scratch. So, that was
tough. It was probably the
most complicated decision I have ever made.
You've been in the industry 25 years. What
has been the most important change you've
seen? Of course, the
start of electrification. The other one is probably the shift
from sedans to SUVs.
What work achievement are you most proud of? Being
successful in the U.S. I came to the U.S. in 2015 [with Infiniti]. Although I used to visit often before that, I had never
been responsible for the U.S. market, which is a very tough
market. As a non-American, as a female in a very tough environment, that was challenging. And I have to say I was
very pleased when I became successful.
What do you struggle with? The English language. No
matter how many years you are speaking the language, it's
still tough because it's not your native language.
Describe your leadership style. I am very straightforward.
I love to work with teams. As I was moving up to higher positions and gaining confidence, I decided that when I was in a
position to lead a team, I was going to treat my team the way I
would like to have been treated in the past - developing
people, supporting people. I'm detail oriented. I have clear
objectives and do as much as I can to achieve them.
What have you learned from the COVID-19 crisis? Respect for others. How life is so vulnerable. It's a wake-up call
to reframe what's really important in life.
Is there anything you wish you had done differently in
your career? Maybe I would have liked to do another international rotation earlier in my career. I did one in the U.K.
and then it took me awhile because I was having kids.
What should be done to encourage women to enter
the auto industry? The OEMs need to support females a
little more. It's a very challenging industry. You can see many females starting and then quitting just because of the
hours you have to put in the business.
What's the best part of your day? I would say that it depends on the day. I am a very structured person. I start my
day typically by trying to run, which clears my head. I also
enjoy the idea of thinking about what I am going to cook for
the day. I just started cooking five years ago. I developed
this love for cooking, and it relaxes me. I try to cook something a little bit more elaborate three times a week.
Tell us about your family. I have been married to Alex for
almost 26 years. We married very young, and probably for
that reason we waited 10 years to have our first kids. He's
been very supportive, and he happens to be also an executive coach. So, he helps me a lot. I have my personal coach
at home, which is great. And we have two beautiful girls.
Cecilia is 16 and Alexa, she is 12.
What's the best book you've read in the last year, and
what did you get out of it? The biography of Michelle
Obama. Just to understand a little more about her. And I
learned that determination and being true to yourself are
some of the best things you can have.
- Laurence Iliff

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