10 September 1998: US-based international automotive supplier Donnelly Corporation announced that four members of the company“s senior management team this week will begin extended assignments in Eur…
10 September 1998: US-based international automotive supplier Donnelly Corporation announced that four members of the company“s senior management team this week will begin extended assignments in Europe, in order to bring greater speed and effectiveness to the restructuring and turnaround needed at Donnelly operations in Germany and Ireland. Given the strategic importance of Donnelly“s European operations, the company“s senior management team made the decision to move to a group of senior managers in Europe who could bring about the needed changes more rapidly. Included in the team are John Donnelly, Maryam Komejan, Russ Scaffede and Ron Winowiecki, each of whom will play a key role in the turnaround. John Donnelly will head the team as COO of Donnelly“s European operations. He will move to Germany as an expatriate in a long-term assignment. Donnelly was previously senior vice president of corporate business development and marketing. He will assume the European responsibilities previously held by Hans Huber, who will leave the company immediately. Maryam Komejan, senior vice president for corporate administration, will continue in her current role, with a shift of emphasis to administrative, human resource, information technology and organizational development issues in Europe. It is expected that Komejan will devote considerable time to Europe over the next several years while continuing to provide a strong focus on information technology issues globally. Russ Scaffede, senior vice president for global manufacturing operations, will continue in his current position, but will shift his focus to improving European manufacturing operations through implementation of the Donnelly Production System (DPS). With his primary focus on Europe, Scaffede will be based there over the next several years. Ron Winowiecki, corporate controller, will assume overall responsibility for Donnelly“s finance and treasury functions in Europe. He will move to Germany as an expatriate for the long-term assignment. The decision to strengthen European operations with senior managers from the US was first announced last May. Since that time, the company has carefully evaluated the need for changes in leadership and has conducted extended planning on how to free the key senior managers involved without disrupting work in North America. “These actions in Europe and the US are a decisive response to critical problems in Europe that have harmed Donnelly“s overall performance over the past several years,” said Dwane Baumgardner, Donnelly chairman and chief executive officer. “Together, these steps are expected to speed improvements in Europe and steer clear of the past mistakes that have delayed our progress there. While the challenges faced in Europe are large, the opportunities there are larger still. A strong management team in Europe will complement Donnelly“s strong management team in the U.S., and contribute to building a stronger, more successful Donnelly around the world.” Meanwhile, Donnelly said recently it has named Scott Reed as chief financial officer, effective 1 September. Reed previously served in various financial positions at Chrysler Corp., most recently as director of international finance. He succeeds William Jellison, who left Donnelly earlier this year to pursue other interests, the company said. Donnelly said Reed will have overall responsibility for all of the company“s financial activities. He will report to Dwane Baumgardner, Donnelly“s chairman and chief executive.