2020 Rising Stars: Automakers & Suppliers

Big break: Using finance best practices to drive enhanced value across Adient 

Greg Anderson is motivated by the ability to shape a business’s long-term strategy. As Adient’s vice president of Americas finance, he gets to do exactly that. 

The automotive seating supplier has struggled to break even since it was spun off from Johnson Controls Inc. in October 2016. That means the pressure is on for Anderson, who joined Adient in May 2019. 

His team is “on a path to return the business to world-class metrics, be they operational or financial,” Anderson said of his day-to-day work. A lot of discussion revolves around “getting the business back to the value creation and metrics that we know it’s capable of.” 

Anderson’s strategies include establishing company priorities with stakeholders, eliminating non-value-added activities and using finance best practices. 

Anderson saw some differences in how Adient’s finance teams on the commercial side and on the operational side would communicate important information — that was a result of using different metrics and calculation methods, he said. Anderson worked to standardize the information to drive efficiency through the process. 

Though change is scary for some, Anderson embraces it. 

“It’s really making sure that the change drives value for the business and the team,” Anderson said. It’s also important “that we don’t expose the business to any risk while we’re implementing the change.” 

Anderson’s experience includes almost four years at driveline supplier Neapco Holdings, seven years in finance at supplier TRW and six years in financial planning and mergers and acquisitions at Delphi Corp., which has since split into Delphi Technologies and Aptiv. 

“Being part of the team that’s helping to shape the strategy and goals of the company and how we’re going to get there, really being a part of that, are things that really excite me,” he said.

— Alexa St. John