[Story updated on 13 January] Christine Krathwohl has left her role at finished vehicle carrier Jack Cooper, where she was managing director of the company’s Strategic Advisory Board, and taken up a new position at automotive parts supplier Cooper Standard as vice-president of global supply chain. She took up the new role on 5th January this year.
Krathwohl will now head Cooper Standard’s strategy for purchasing, procurement, logistics, vendor management and supplier quality. She reports to Keith Stephenson, executive vice president and chief operating officer, and is based at the company’s headquarters in Novi, Michigan.
“The Cooper Standard opportunity was a perfect next step in my career progression, as I have a passion for the automotive supply chain and want to lead a global organisation,” said Krathwohl. “At Cooper Standard, I plan to leverage the broad experiences I have had with GM, Ford, Visteon and Jack Cooper, in continuing the transformation of the Cooper Standard global supply chain organisation."
According to the company, Cooper Standard is in the midst of a transformation of its supply chain into “a true global organisation that engages our supply partners in all aspects of the value chain to optimize performance”. The company said that Krathwohl’s background and global experience were a perfect fit to take it to the next level.
“Christine’s extensive automotive supply chain experience make her a valuable addition to the Cooper Standard team,” said Jeffrey Edwards, chairman and CEO, Cooper Standard. “I’m confident that, together with her team, she will continue the transformation of our supply chain, as its successful operation plays a major role in the execution of our growth strategy.”
Krathwohl added that the objective was to create a strong, coordinated global team and foster healthy supplier relationships to help the enterprise achieve its global growth and profitability goals. “I look forward to engaging with our supply base,” she said.
Prior to her role with Jack Cooper, which she took up in August last year, Krathwohl held a number of supply chain and purchasing roles at GM during her seven years with the company. These included director of supply chain operations in Europe and director of inbound logistics in North America. She left her role there as executive director for global logistics and supplier diversity in May 2013 as the company made changes to its senior executive staff.
