Board of Directors
Eric P. Sills
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer & President
Mr. Sills has served as our Chairman of the Board since May 2023, a director of the Company and our Chief Executive Officer since March 2016, and as our President since February 2015. Prior to serving as our President, Mr. Sills served as our Vice President Global Operations from 2013 to 2015, and our Vice President Engine Management Division from 2006 to 2013. From 1991 to 2006, Mr. Sills served in various capacities in our Company, including as General Manager, LIC Operations, Director of Product Management, and Plant Manager, Oxygen Sensor Business Unit. Mr. Sills has completed an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, and holds an M.B.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Bowdoin College.
Mr. Sills’ qualifications to serve as our Chairman of the Board include his extensive knowledge of our business and its operations, and the experience that he has acquired throughout his career, having served in a variety of senior management positions across our organization and as an executive officer. In addition, we believe Mr. Sills’ qualifications to serve as a director include his and his family’s significant ownership interest in the Company, which serves to align his interests with the interests of our other shareholders, and the fact that he represents the fourth generation of the Sills family which established the Company in 1919.
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Alisa C. Norris
Director
Ms. Norris has served as our Presiding Independent Director since May 2023 and as a director of the Company since October 2012. Ms. Norris also serves as a director of Vita-Mix Corporation, where she also serves as its Lead Independent Director and Chair of its Compensation and Human Capital Management Committee, and also as a director of CP Direct. Ms. Norris previously served in several leadership positions including: (i) Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at JDRF International, where she was responsible for marketing, communications and digital growth, leading the organization’s digital transformation; (ii) Chief Marketing Officer of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, where she was responsible for all aspects of marketing and communications; (iii) Chief People Officer of Opera Solutions, LLC, a leading predictive analytics company, where she was responsible for global staff operations and human capital management; (iv) Senior Vice President and a founding member of Zeborg, Inc.; and (v) a strategy consultant and Partner at Mitchell Madison Group. Ms. Norris holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Trinity College, where she was Phi Beta Kappa.
Ms. Norris’ qualifications to serve as our Presiding Independent Director include her significant leadership roles across a broad range of industries including industrial, information technology services, and financial services, where she led first-ever transformations of business strategy and operations. Her executive level positions have afforded her global experience in defining and implementing corporate governance structures, growth strategies, digital transformation, and engaging customer and employee experiences. Ms. Norris has also successfully architected and led strategy and brand positioning initiatives, and cultural and change management efforts. In addition, Ms. Norris successfully led a subcommittee of our Board to enhance the Board’s diversity. Ms. Norris’ knowledge in developing and managing operational resources in marketing, communications, talent management and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging provides our Board with valuable leadership as the Company continues to grow and evolve its strategies and initiatives in these areas. Additionally, her unique understanding of the relationship between strategy, brand, high-performance and respectful cultures provide unique insights to the Board.
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James J. Burke
Director & Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Burke has served as a director of the Company since December 2022 and as our Chief Operating Officer since January 2019. Mr. Burke also served as our Chief Financial Officer from 1999 to September 2019, our Executive Vice President Finance from 2016 to January 2019, as well as our Vice President Finance, Director of Finance, Chief Accounting Officer, and Corporate Controller. Mr. Burke has completed an Executive Education program at Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and holds an MBA from University of New Haven and a BBA from Pace University.
Mr. Burke’s qualifications to serve as a director include his more than forty years of experience in the automotive industry and with the Company, during which he has been integrally responsible for the Company’s corporate strategy, executive management, operations, and building investor relations, which grant him perspective into the most important issues investors in our industry have. Mr. Burke has a proven ability to effectively oversee and address all domestic and international issues and risks that our business faces through strategic growth initiatives, which also maximize the value of the Company’s investments and strategies. Additionally, Mr. Burke’s significant experience in finance and accounting enable him to offer valuable insight on matters of complex financial analysis and reporting. The Board also greatly benefits from his intimate working knowledge of our day-to-day business, plans, strategies and initiatives. Mr. Burke’s experience and high level of commitment to the Board, our business, our team members and our shareholders make him a valuable member to the Board.
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Alejandro C. Capparelli
Director
Mr. Capparelli has served as Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee since May 2023 and as a director of the Company since April 2022. Mr. Capparelli also serves as the Vice President, Global Commercial Lifecycle Services of Rockwell Automation, Inc., an industrial automation and digital transformation company which is included within the S&P 500 Index, and serves as an advisory board member of the Industrial Equipment Advisory Board of Technology and Service Industry Association. Mr. Capparelli previously served as Rockwell Automation President, Americas Region from October 2020 to January 2022 and President, Latin America Region from 2016 to September 2020. Prior to such time, Mr. Capparelli held numerous roles of increasing responsibility at leading sales, engineering and services businesses, and his experience includes strategy development and execution, risk management, financial management, go-to-market evolution, marketing, operations, and customer support organization. Mr. Capparelli holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (Argentina), and a Post Graduate degree in Business Management and Strategy from the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee.
Mr. Capparelli’s qualifications to serve as a director include his many years of international, executive leadership experience in industrial automation and digital transformation including smart manufacturing, IOT and Industry 4.0 across multiples customer segments and industries. Mr. Capparelli’s leadership in the creation and development of strategies that achieve business outcomes combining technology and domain expertise to maximize productivity, safety and sustainability of business investment in critical areas, including digital engineering, connected operations, analytics, cybersecurity and automation make him a valuable member to our Board. Also, Mr. Capparelli’s qualifications include his experience leading efforts in the expansion of the culture of diversity and inclusion as well the organizational involvement with the communities in which companies operate. Furthermore, the Board benefits from his insight into key geographic markets served by the Company, and his successful track record overseeing business development and the implementation of strategic growth initiatives in these markets, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
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Pamela Forbes Lieberman
Director
Ms. Forbes Lieberman has served as Chair of the Audit Committee since May 2022 and as a director of the Company since August 2007. Ms. Forbes Lieberman also serves as a director and Chair of both the Audit Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee of John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., a leading processor and distributor of nut products, and on the board of privately held Diamond Blade Warehouse. Previously, Ms. Forbes Lieberman served as a director of A.M. Castle & Co. and VWR Corporation. Ms. Forbes Lieberman’s executive leadership experience includes her serving as: (i) interim Chief Operating Officer of Entertainment Resource, Inc.; (ii) President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and member of the Board of Directors of TruServ Corporation (now known as True Value Company); (iii) Chief Financial Officer at each of ShopTalk Inc., The Martin-Brower Company, LLC, and Fel-Pro, Inc.; and (iv) an automotive industry consultant. Ms. Forbes Lieberman is a Certified Public Accountant and began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Ms. Forbes Lieberman holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and a BS from the University of Illinois.
Ms. Forbes Lieberman’s qualifications to serve as a director include her extensive executive leadership and financial and managerial experience. Her service as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for global manufacturing, distribution, retail and automotive companies make her a valuable asset to our Board, and has provided her with a wealth of knowledge in dealing with corporate strategy, operations, finance, M&A, organization culture, crisis management, risk management, change management, communications, compensation, and corporate governance matters. In addition, her financial expertise, including experience in public and financial accounting matters, compensation plans, financings, logistics, and business strategy, provide valuable insight to our Board.
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Patrick S. McClymont
Director
Mr. McClymont has served as Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee since May 2022 and as a director of the Company since February 2017. Mr. McClymont also serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Hagerty, Inc. since September 2022. Prior to joining Hagerty, Mr. McClymont served as Chief Financial Officer of Orchard Technologies, Inc. from June 2021 to September 2022, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of IMAX Corporation from 2016 to May 2021, as well as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sotheby’s and as a Partner and Managing Director of Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he was a member of the Investment Banking Division. Mr. McClymont holds an MBA from The Amos Tuck School, Dartmouth College and a BS, with distinction, from Cornell University.
Mr. McClymont’s qualifications to serve as a director include his expertise in investment banking, financial and corporate strategy matters. His executive and leadership experience, including as Chief Financial Officer at various corporations and as a Managing Director of a prominent investment banking firm, provide the Board with valuable insight in the areas of accounting, tax, treasury, finance, investor relations, international strategy, operations, securities, and risk management. His extensive knowledge in these areas, and his familiarity with the automotive industry, both domestically and abroad, make him a valuable member to our Board.
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Joseph W. McDonnell
Director
Mr. McDonnell has served as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee since May 2022 and as a director of the Company since October 2012. Mr. McDonnell also serves as the President of the University of Maine at Farmington, while he is on leave from his position as a Professor of Public Policy and Management at the University of Southern Maine’s Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, where he lectures on organizational leadership, crisis and risk management, and argumentation, advocacy, and governance, among other subjects. In addition, Mr. McDonnell previously served as a Founding Director, Faculty Fellow and member of the board of the University of Southern Maine’s Confucius Institute. Mr. McDonnell previously served in several leadership positions in the academic and private sectors including: (i) Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and as Dean of the College of Management and Human Service, each position at the University of Southern Maine; (ii) Interim Dean of the College of Business at Stony Brook University; (iii) President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York International Commerce Group, Inc., which provides services for companies doing business in China; and (iv) Senior Vice President at the Long Island Lighting Company, a large gas and electric utility company. Mr. McDonnell holds an Executive Program Certificate from Harvard Business School, a PhD in Communications from the University of Southern California, and an MA and BA from Stony Brook University.
Mr. McDonnell’s qualifications to serve as a director include his significant experience in academia teaching and publishing articles on business administration, strategy, workforce development, crisis and risk management, and the development of management-level personnel, as well as his various leadership positions at foreign and domestic companies. Mr. McDonnell also has significant experience in sustainability matters leading a multi-million dollar initiative at the University of Maine at Farmington to increase energy efficiency and eliminate the use of fossil fuels on campus. Additionally, Mr. McDonnell has extensive knowledge of Chinese business and culture having lectured, published articles, and developed academic programs focused on China for more than twenty years, including founding a Confucius Institute at the University of Southern Maine. His research on the globalization and digitization of the economy, and complex trade relationships among the United States, Europe and China provide a unique perspective in these areas and enhance the Board’s understanding of the risks the Company faces due to its global operations.
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Pamela S. Puryear, Ph.D.
Director
Pamela S. Puryear, PhD, has served as Chair of the Compensation and Management Development Committee since May 2023 and as a director of the Company since December 2021Dr. Puryear also serves as a director of SpartanNash Company, where she is a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees, and NextGen Healthcare, Inc., where she is a member of the Audit Committee. Previously, Dr. Puryear served as a director of Rockley Photonics Holdings Limited, where she was Chair of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Dr. Puryear is a business executive with 35 years of global experience in financial services, consulting, healthcare and retail. From 2009 to 2021, Dr. Puryear held several executive leadership roles, including: (i) Executive Vice President, Global Chief Human Resources Officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance; (ii) Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Zimmer Biomet; (iii) Senior Vice President, Chief Talent Officer at Pfizer Inc.; and (iv) Vice President, Organizational Development and Chief Talent Officer at Hospira Inc. Prior to these roles, Dr. Puryear led an independent organizational development consulting practice for 12 years working globally and across industry sectors, including consumer products, financial services, healthcare, professional services and insurance. Dr. Puryear also spent her first 10 years post-MBA in financial services in the real estate investment advisor industry. Her success in these positions has earned her recognition as a business and human capital thought leader and various honors, including the 2021 “Elite 100” by Diversity Woman Magazine, which recognizes black women executives who lead and innovate complex transformations in corporate America. Dr. Puryear was also inducted into the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the preeminent member organization for Black Executives, in 2019.
Dr. Puryear holds a Ph.D. degree in organizational psychology from California School of Professional Psychology, an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School, and a BA degree in psychology with a concentration in organizational behavior from Yale University. Dr. Puryear is a recognized business and human capital thought leader, currently serving as a member of the Advisory Board, Human Capital Center at The Conference Board, a research think tank that delivers business insights to 1,000 public and private organizations in 60 countries.
Dr. Puryear’s qualifications to serve as a director include her track record of success in executive leadership positions across various global industries, and driving value creation through her expertise in human capital management, organizational development, operational excellence and innovation. Additionally, Dr. Puryear has demonstrated knowledge and leadership with respect to environmental, social and governance issues, which will provide valuable insight and assist the Company in enhancing our corporate social responsibility strategies, including diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.