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REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 83 REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 83 tion comprised of 30 factories, in 16 different countries, with products being manufactured for 12 different business units. The chal- lenge was how to standardize the electronic assembly materials throughout such a diverse organization. I had to balance preferences from the business units, plants, and regions of the world, as well as individuals. We formed cross-functional teams that worked across organizational lines and geographical regions to create a data-backed consensus for the standardization of our manufacturing materials. IPC standards require a similar leadership approach, but there are a few added dimen- sions. In the case of IPC, the suppliers, customers, and competitors must all work together to find common solutions, such as creating a new industry standard. Addi- tionally, in IPC, unlike within a corporation, it's not just one industry represented. For example, there are members from consumer, aerospace and defense, medical, automo- tive, etc., that must work together, which can be even more challenging. Similar leadership skills apply—passion, organization, listening to one another, and following the data, with the added necessary virtue of patience, which is not necessarily my greatest strength. The members of IPC are volunteers. We can- not assign each other performance goals for the year. Because you're dealing with volun- teers instead of paid employees, it's a slightly different approach within IPC leadership, which requires a lot more patience. Right, you actually have to get them to agree to work for you. That's the secret, and that's where the pas- sion helps. It's amazing how many passionate people there are in our industry. What do you find most exciting about our industry now? The electrification of automobiles. This ties into my career; I spent 29 years working for Tier 1s in the automotive industry. We were always in the background for electronics manufacturing, but now with the electrifica- tion of automobiles, the industry is rapidly evolving in applications requiring high volt- age and power, batteries and electric motors, high computing capabilities, and miniaturiza- tion. There are growing needs for new materi- als and processes in areas like high power and thermal management. It's a very exciting time to be involved with automotive electronics manufacturing. What lessons have you learned in your leadership role? One lesson I've learned, both in IPC and in industry, is that when you're in a leadership role, you're really not alone. You don't have to solve every problem or identify every solu- tion; you can call on and depend on others to provide valuable input to reach consensus. In fact, I often find that I like other people's ideas better than my own. I have experienced this working with the Technical Program Committee; I can very much rely on my co- chair and the committee members to get us through any challenging topics where the direction may be uncertain. Excellent. Thanks so much for your time and congratulations again on this award. Thank you. I am familiar with some of the pre- vious award winners, and I have considerable respect for them, which makes it an especially fulfilling award for me. S&T IPC Presidents Award