WILLIAM M. RUSSO1106 Building No. 10, Palm Springs

8 South Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC 100026U.S. 248.686.2018 • bill.russo@gmail.com • http://www.linkedin.com/in/williamrusso

Summary

President and founder of Synergistics Limited with 25+ years of industry experience in driving strategy and performance improvement in Fortune 500 environments. Experience includes over 15 years as an automotive executive, including 5 years of experience in China and Asia. Proven ability to open new international markets using a life-cycle management approach from strategy formulation through industrialization. Successfully negotiated agreements with partners and obtained required approvals from China government to bring 6 new vehicle programs to the market in a 3-year period, as well as establish an infrastructure for localization and sales/distribution. Able to assemble new organizations and mobilize teams to capitalize on market and process improvement opportunities. Experience in negotiating favorable agreements, building strong relationships with government officials and clients, and leveraging functional synergies. Diligent leader with unique blend of management, global business, engineering and operational expertise. In addition to subject-matter expertise, I bring an in-depth knowledge, appreciation and respect for the Chinese culture and history to an organization.

Has held increasingly responsible positions within 2 global Tier One employers, including:

• Chrysler LLC – Vice President, Director and Senior Manager

• IBM – Business Transformation Consultant, Senior Systems Engineer

A recognised industry leader in Corporate Transformation - where the alignment of business strategy, key performance indicators and information technology strategy are critical to achieving success.

Key Achievements

• Vice President, Chrysler North East Asia Negotiated agreements and oversaw the localization of 6 vehicle programs within 3 years with 3 different Asian partners, resulting in 300% growth in sales volume by achieving rollout of a complete showroom line-up.

• Director, Product & Business Strategy Positioned company for profitability (after period of losses) by achieving $2B in annual efficiency enhancements while bolstering product development / launches; spearheaded mission-critical initiative to consolidate 3 key planning functions: 10-year strategy, long-term product development, and 5-year capital investment ($6B annually).

• Senior Manager, Post-Merger Integration Achieved $1B operating costs reduction (within 1 year, vs. 2 year timetable) in collaboration with Chrysler and Daimler Benz personnel by combining the finance, IT, and HR departments.

• Senior Manager, Process Management & Continuous ImprovementReengineered new vehicle / product development to reduce cycle duration from 36 to 24 months. Earned U.S. Patent for a Chrysler Development System product development scheduling innovation.

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• Business Transformation Consultant Led global cross-functional, multi-disciplinary teams in the identification and implementation of strategic business improvement initiatives throughout critical value streams and functions, including: Product Planning and Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement, Supply Chain, Finance, Treasury, Legal, PR and Human Resources.

Employment History

March 2009 – Present Synergistics Limited

Key accomplishments:

Founder and President• Launched international business development advisory firm

specializing in formulation of market-entry strategies, competitive analysis, production/supply capability assessment, regulatory and government approval requirements and identification and qualification of JV/alliance partners.

• Firm provides proven methodologies for program management and negotiation of deals with clients in Asia.a

• Dynamic speaker and frequently published author and opinion leader. Most recently invited to speak on China Auto Industry Developments at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business lunchtime lecture series.

• Viewpoints on the China Auto industry have recently been published in the March 2009 GlobalAutoIndustry.com’s CHINAtalk eJournal as well as the April 2009 GlobalAutoIndustry.com’s ASIAtalk eJournal.

• Opinions on development of the China Auto industry have aired on Marketplace National Public Radio and will soon air on the CBS Evening News.

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July 1993 – Sept 2008 Chrysler LLC (formerly DaimlerChrysler Corporation)

Key accomplishments:

July 2004 – Sept 2008 Vice President, Chrysler North East Asia

• Directed operations in capacity as company’s 1st regional VP• Generated and deployed strategies to build a new team

(eventual growth to ~ 250 employees) and to maximize long-term revenues and market penetration.

• Counseled U.S. senior management on the necessity of developing an indigenous Asian presence and entering company-branded vehicles into the marketplace. Devised Asian marketing plans in coordination with senior management colleagues.

• Negotiated agreements to support launch of sales divisions and manufacturing facilities in multiple countries; navigated local regulatory obstacles to obtain advantageous classifications of business entities.

• Provided framework for ongoing success in key Asian markets by establishing 2 national sales subsidiaries within 18 months. Functioned as Chairman of both sales entities.

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• Adhered to Chinese regulations while launching 6 vehicle production programs in 3 years.

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Jan 2000 – July 2004 Director, Product & Business Strategy

• Reported to global CEO; oversaw governance in role as secretary of CEO’s committees. Managed numerous high-level operations and strategic functions.

• Optimized the 10-year plan, long-term product development programs, and the 5-year, $30B capital investment plan.

• Analyzed prospective growth opportunities and partnerships. Directed competitive / market analysis and target costing.

• Spearheaded mission-critical initiative to consolidate 3 key planning functions: 10-year strategy, long-term product development, and 5-year capital investment ($6B annually).

• Played a key role in major business turnaround (reversing 3 years of losses) by strengthening operational transparency through management of system-wide balanced scorecard deployment.

• Improved access to performance data, aligned performance objectives with long-range strategies, and received international acclaim (Harvard Business Review, speeches / articles).

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May 1998 – Dec 1999 Senior Manager, Post-Merger Integration

• Led transition team for absorption into Daimler Benz AG in cooperation with 10 executive colleagues (team assembled by Chrysler CEO).

• Leveraged a qualitative feedback system to determine obstacles. Devised process improvements including cross-functional Issue Resolution Teams.

• Achieved $1B operating costs reduction (within 1 year, vs. 2 year timetable) in collaboration with Chrysler and Daimler Benz personnel by combining the finance, IT, and HR departments.

• Facilitated seamless integration by winning cooperation of essential Chrysler decision makers and cultivating productive relationships with Daimler executives.

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July 1993 – Apr 1998 Senior Manager, Process Management & Continuous Improvement

• Oversaw process improvement operations after forming a new team / function (hired based on performance as consultant).

• Working with functional leaders across the company, my organization was able to conduct hundreds of continuous improvement “kaizen” workshops each year as well as develop functional experts within the operating groups.

• Worked with the corporate organizational development group to deploy a leadership development program for executives which incorporated the kaizen and process reengineering principles.

• Reengineered new vehicle / product development to reduce cycle duration from 36 to 24 months.

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• Earned U.S. Patent for a Chrysler Development System product development scheduling innovation.

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July 1982 – June 1993 IBM Corporation

Apr 1987 – June 1993 IBM General Services DivisionBusiness Transformation Consultant, Great Lakes Region

Senior Systems Engineer, Chrysler Account

• Led the implementation of the computer-aided design technology within automotive OEM and supplier product development organizations.

• Responsible for development and deployment of a automotive consulting service strategy.

• Achieved the highest billing rate for a automotive consultant in the Detroit Region in 1992.

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July 1982 – Apr 1987 IBM General Technology DivisionManufacturing Engineer, Semiconductor Fabrication

• Responsible for final operations in memory chip fabrication

process.• Authored 3 IBM Technical Reports and received an invention

disclosure for production innovation.• One of 3 people selected in 1985 to receive a fellowship to

participate in the Master of Science program in Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Lehigh University (graduated in Jan 1987)

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Education

Master of Science, Manufacturing Systems Engineering Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering Columbia University, New York, NY

Publications, Patents, Honors & Presentations

• Authored numerous IBM Technical Reports as well as independent publications. Sample titles include:

Using the Balanced Scorecard to Regain Profitability

Managing Technological Change in Manufacturing

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Change Management at Chrysler A Methodology for Improving the Operational Efficiency of Business Processes

Guest Lecturer at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in March 2009 on the topic: “Opportunities and Challenges for the China Automotive Industry During the Global Financial Crisis”

Guest speaker and panellist at 2 Automotive Industry conferences held at China’s Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2007 and 2008.

Guest speaker and panellist at the 2 Global conferences hosted by the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative in 2003 and 2004

Keynote speaker at conferences hosted by Hammer and Company and the Conference Board on Merger Integration and Change Management

My strategy work was noted by R.S. Kaplan and D.P. Norton in Harvard Business Review September 2005 article entitled "The Office of Strategy Management"

Earned U.S. Patent 6,714,827 for a Chrysler Development System product development scheduling methodology

Clubs & Associations

• Oakhurst Golf & Country Club

• American Chamber of Commerce - China

References

Supplied on Request

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