The Automotive Leaders Podcast

Competitors at the Same Table: Leading Collaboration in the Automotive Industry

Put Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Volkswagen, and seven more automakers in one room. They fight each other over every sale, and somebody has to get them to agree on a sing

Speed Gets Built in the Room: Why Collaboration Is Automotive's Competitive Edge

Collaboration is in every corporate deck and on every conference room wall in this industry. Look it up, and you'll find two or more people or organizations working toget

Why Automotive Leaders Must Break Rules

Nobody outsources the engine. It's the heartbeat of the vehicle, and outside of a few niche players, no large OEM has ever seriously considered handing it to someone else

Quality Over Quantity: A Quick Check-In from Jan

This week, Jan made a call most podcasters won't make. She sat down in the studio with a leader she's wanted on the show for a long time, and the conversation was too str

China Speed Isn't New: What a 1993 Binder Says About Automotive Culture

We keep talking about China speed as if it were a new discovery. Early supplier involvement is presented as a fresh idea. Consultants are back in the building with slick

Automotive Procurement's Power Problem: What Other Industries Do Better

Automotive built the procurement playbook. Structure, process, category management, sourcing discipline. Compressed margins forced it, and every penny had to be defended.

Why Chinese OEMs Move Faster: Ramiro Gutierrez on Value, Software, and Automotive Leadership

Tariffs bought this industry a window. Ramiro Gutierrez, President of North America, ZF Group, is not convinced we are using it. He has spent 30 years in the automotive

How Ford Is Breaking Command and Control on the Factory Floor

In the automotive industry, we often focus on the vehicle itself, the technology within it, the smart factories, and artificial intelligence. Ford is leading the way in a

250th Anniversary Episode, a Personal Perspective

In 1976, an 11-year-old girl from a small farm in Wales stood before a glass case in Greenwich, England, staring at strange uniforms and a document called the Constitutio

Jim Voss on Building a Culture That Wins (The Tenneco Way, Part 2)

In Part 1, Jim Voss, CEO of Tenneco, took on a company in need of a turnaround. In Part 2, he hands you the playbook behind it. This is the Tenneco Way. Not a poster on

The Man, The Mess, and The Moment: How Jim Voss Began Tenneco's Transformation

How do you take a 100-plus-year-old automotive company with 158 manufacturing sites, operations in 28 countries, more than 60,000 employees, and over 30 brands and transf

Closing Season 7 and Preparing for What’s Next

Season 7 of the Automotive Leaders Podcast is officially coming to a close, and Jan Griffiths is taking a moment to reflect on the journey, the lessons, and what’s ahead

2026 Working Relations Index — The First Time in 26 Years All Six OEMs Moved Up

For the first time in 26 years of the Working Relations Index, every single North American OEM moved up the chart. Ford, Toyota, Stellantis, Honda, GM, and Nissan all sco

The CEO Whisperer: What Automotive Leaders Need Most Right Now

What does it really mean to lead at the highest level in the automotive industry today? In this episode, Jan Griffiths sits down with Phil Biggs, the man quietly trusted

Lincoln’s Reinvention: Joaquin Nuño-Whelan on Leadership, Luxury, and Legacy Transformation

What happens when a 100-year-old luxury brand decides to think like a startup? In this episode, Jan Griffiths sits down with Joaquin Nuño-Whelan, President of Lincoln, l

Is USMCA at Risk? Colin Bird Breaks Down What Happens Next

The USMCA review is fast approaching, uncertainty is building across the automotive industry, and leaders are asking a critical question: Is the agreement that binds Nort

It's Q2: Are You Ready to Blow Up Your Playbook?

Q1 was a wild ride. Tariffs. Geopolitical shocks. Supply chain chaos. And now Q2 is here, and the question no one's asking out loud is: are you walking into your quarterl

Why Reinvention Is Critical for Automotive Suppliers Right Now

Reinvention in the automotive industry is no longer optional. It is survival. In this episode, Jan Griffiths sits down with Lori Lancaster, Vice Chair of Emotiv Mobility,

Policy, Power, and the Future of Automotive Manufacturing with Congresswoman Haley Stevens

If you had told Jan a year ago she would bring a member of Congress onto this show, she would have said you were crazy. But this isn’t about politics. It’s about surviv

IEEPA Struck Down — Why the Tariff Pressure Remains

Download the full webinar slides hereSpecial Audio from the February 20th Seraph Webinar Tariffs were struck down. So why does the pressure still feel the same? If the