Aligning Global Supply Chain with Corporate Goals
Christine Krathwohl serves as vice president global supply chain and corporate officer at Cooper Standard, managing a worldwide team of over 200 members.
With two decades of experience, she leads the automotive industry supplier’s strategy for purchasing, logistics, vendor management, and supplier quality. Colleagues say her extensive automotive supply chain expertise makes her a valuable addition to the Cooper Standard team and instrumental in bringing the global supply chain in alignment with corporate growth strategies.
Prior to Cooper Standard, Krathwohl worked for 11 years in progressively responsible roles at General Motors Company in Germany and the United States. She has also held positions with Visteon, Ford Motor Company, and Jack Cooper Holdings in Michigan and Georgia.
Krathwohl says her biggest career leap was making the move to Germany to manage General Motor’s European Supply Operations. “I learned you can be successful managing people regardless of the country and culture if you understand and respect them,” she said. Krathwohl says the most important qualities a woman leader should have are determination and integrity. “You don’t have to be a bull in a china shop to be effective,” she said. “Take risks and have faith in your abilities.”
Last year, she was named to the Automotive News 100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry List. She is actively involved in fundraising for a number of charitable causes, including The Boys & Girls Club of Detroit, Cooper Standard’s Careers for Veterans, and Gilda’s Club “Burn the Mortgage” initiative. She’s also active in enrichment programs for Detroit-area school children and STEM education. She is a founding member of Lace Up Detroit, which collects shoes and winter boots for women and children in need.
Krathwohl holds an MBA and BS in materials and logistics management from Michigan State University.
Words she lives by: “Work hard and enjoy life, tomorrow is not a guarantee.”
