Maumee, Ohio – Dana Holding Corp. has named James K. Kamsickas to be president and CEO of the company, effective Aug. 11, 2015. Kamsickas has held the same position at global automotive supplier International Automotive Components Group (IAC) since 2012, after serving as CEO and president, North America and Asia, since 2007, when the company was established. He will also serve as a director of Dana.
Separately, IAC has announced that Robert S. “Steve” Miller will join IAC on July 20, 2015 and assume the role of president, CEO, and director, effective Aug. 7, 2015.
Kamsickas, 48, succeeds Roger J. Wood, who in January announced his plans to retire. Wood will continue as a member of the company’s board of directors through a transition period.
“Jim Kamsickas has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills with a sharp focus on operational excellence, as well as organic and inorganic expansion. In his eight years as a CEO, Jim’s record includes the successful integration of a number of strategic acquisitions,” says Joseph C. Muscari, Dana’s non-executive chairman.
Kamsickas says, “Dana’s commitment to technological innovation and customer service has made it an industry standard bearer and a company I have long admired. Its global focus and exceptional engineering position Dana to create attractive growth opportunities in key strategic markets.”
Kamsickas has more than 25 years of global automotive and business experience. Under his leadership, IAC expanded around the globe, creating new manufacturing facilities and/or technical centers in China, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, and Thailand. Since the original foundation-building acquisitions of Lear Corporation’s Interiors Systems Division and Collins & Aikman, as well as 15 additional strategic acquisitions in key regions around the world, IAC has grown to $5.9 billion in 2014 sales, more than 32,000 employees, and more than 100 global locations.
Previously the head of Lear Corporation’s Interior Systems Division, Kamsickas held a number of leadership roles within that organization, including vice president in its General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler customer divisions and vice president of operations of Lear’s Seating, Electrical, and Interiors divisions. Also, he served in several key positions in the development of Lear’s European operations, including international assignments in Germany, Sweden, and Austria.
A native of Saginaw, Michigan, Kamsickas earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University and a master’s of business administration from Michigan State University.
His replacement at IAC is also an auto industry veteran. Miller served as a board member of Federal-Mogul Corp. from 1993 to 2005 and as interim CEO during a portion of that period. He served as chairman and CEO of Bethlehem Steel Corp. from 2001 to 2003 and as chairman and CEO of Delphi Corp. from 2005 until 2006 and held the executive chairman position from January 2007 until Delphi’s Chapter 11 emergence in 2009.
“I have known Steve for many years and have always had a great deal of respect for his leadership and operating skills. Steve’s deep background and experience in the automotive industry are a great fit for the business, and will ensure continuity of service to our global customer base,” says Wilbur L. Ross Jr., chairman, WL Ross & Co., a significant shareholder of IAC. “Steve’s corporate roles often have drawn upon his turnaround experience, but that is not the case here. Our interest is in his automotive experience and relationships.”
Miller adds, “I have spent more than 40 years running companies in a variety of industries across different market cycles. I am looking forward to returning to the automotive industry and working with the IAC team, as we share the belief that a focused strategy and the correct operating resources can create significant value for shareholders. “
Miller began his career in 1968 at Ford Motor Co. and after more than a decade there joined Chrysler Corp., where he worked for 13 years, eventually serving as vice chairman. While at Chrysler, all international automotive operations and non-automotive operations reported to him. He then joined New York investment bank James D. Wolfensohn, Inc. as a senior partner from 1992 to 1993. In 1995, Miller was appointed Chairman of the Board of engineering, construction, mining, and environmental services firm Morrison Knudsen Corp. from April 1995 until September 1996, overseeing financial restructuring and the merger with Washington Construction. Miller was then named vice chairman of the board (renamed Washington Group) until February 2002.
He is a graduate of Stanford University and received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Sources: Dana Corp., IAC Group