Carmen O’Neil - Head of Raw Materials Purchasing the Americas, Continental Tire

10/01/20 • 22 min

As Head of Raw Material Purchasing for Continental Tire and ContiTech in the Americas, Carmen O’Neil oversees the sourcing and procurement of all products that make up tires and rubber articles produced in North and South America. In this role she leads an international team both strategically and operationally to manage the sourcing and supply chains of over $1.5 billion worth of raw materials to more than 10 locations throughout the region. Carmen entered into the automotive industry after college in her home country of South Africa after attaining her degree in Business Management. She and her husband later moved to the USA in 1999 where she has continued her career once again in the automotive industry. She has worked at companies like Rubbermaid, Honeywell and Continental in varying positions such as graduate trainee, buyer, key account manager, purchasing manager and finally head of the Americas region purchasing for Continental, a $45+ billion company. Carmen has a 20+ year career in the commercial side of business, both in purchasing and sales and counts herself very fortunate to have had opportunity to grow and develop but also to have had the courage to recognize and seize those opportunities. She finds it extremely rewarding to mentor and champion others to find their voice and identify their best impact in their organization. In this episode of Fairygodboss Radio, Romy talks with Carmen O’Neil about using your voice and seizing opportunities. [Recorded on August 20, 2020]

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Tracy Pitcher - SVP Comcast Business, Northeast Division, Comcast

In her position as senior vice president of Comcast Business for the Northeast Division of Comcast, Tracy Pitcher is a leader who celebrates the diversity of background, perspective, culture and experience that uplifts every aspect of her company. Knowing that a diverse, equitable and inclusive company is a more innovative and successful one, Tracy is actively engaged within Comcast and beyond, and champions core values rooted in improving the communities where employees and customers live and work. Overseeing an organization spanning 14 states and the District of Columbia, Tracy relies on a hands-on, good-natured style and promotes a culture of employee engagement as she guides a team that supports businesses of all sizes from the very small to the Fortune 500, helping them to stay agile and achieve their potential and business goals. Tracy has forged a wide-ranging career, including her previous role as senior vice president of Comcast’s Greater Boston Region. Alongside her professional focus, she is a member of the Commonwealth Institute, a non-profit organization devoted to advancing women in leadership roles and is also a board member of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, a public policy organization focused on strengthening the state’s economic vitality. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester (NH) and is a mentor to numerous professionals. Beyond a kinetic lifestyle that includes hiking, running and competitive fitness challenges, Tracy is an enthusiastic reader, a devoted fan of John Wooden and she is quick to reference her favorite quote by the legendary UCLA basketball coach: “Don’t mistake activity for achievement.” In this episode of Fairygodboss Radio, Tracy Pitcher talks about continuous learning and why you should follow your curiosities. [Recorded on September 3, 2020]

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Kathy Wengel - Executive Vice President & Chief Global Supply Chain Officer, J&J

Kathy Wengel is Executive Vice President & Chief Global Supply Chain Officer for Johnson & Johnson, and member of the company’s Executive Committee. She leads the Supply Chain and several enterprise-wide functional organizations that bring healthcare products and services to more than a billion patients and consumers around the world every day across three business sectors: Consumer Health, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals. Her responsibilities include enterprise Supply Chain strategy, innovation and deployment, planning, sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and customer service. She also has corporatewide responsibility for Quality & Compliance; Procurement; Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability; and Engineering & Property Services, including Real Estate, Facilities, and Capital Project Management. Kathy serves as Chairman of the Board of GS1 Global, is on the board of the National Association of Manufacturers in the US, and the advisory board of AWESOME. She is the executive sponsor for the Johnson & Johnson Women’s Leadership & Inclusion (WLI) initiative and for the Johnson & Johnson Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and Design (WiSTEM2D) program. Kathy has received several prominent awards, the most recent being in 2019 when Kathy was recognized by the Council of Supply Management Professionals (CSCMP) as the recipient of its lifetime Distinguished Service Award, the industry’s top individual supply chain honor. In this episode of Fairygodboss Radio, Kathy Wengel talks about the importance of having a job that you love. Recording Date: October 20, 2020