Federal Mogul’s CEO to Discuss Global Leadership Experiences at Aftermarket Symposium

It what is sure to be a well-attended session, Jose Maria Alapont, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Federal-Mogul Corp., will discuss his global leadership experiences in both the automotive manufacturer and supplier industries at the 11th annual Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS).
GAAS 2006 is set for Wednesday and Thursday, May 17-18, at the Hyatt Regency, Dearborn, Mich.Alapont’s presentation is slated for Wednesday, May 17.
Federal-Mogul, which is currently coming to grips with emergence from Chapter 11, is one of the largest automotive aftemarket manufacturers in the world, counting such venerable brands as Wagner, Champion, Moog, Ferodo, and Fel-Pro as part of its stable.
Alapont certainly should have a handle on the effect that financial pressures can have on a company’s ability to compete, and on the realities of international business relationships.
Prior to joining Federal-Mogul on March 1, 2005, Alapont was chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors at IVECO the commercial vehicle company of the Fiat Group with 2004 sales in excess of 9 billion (Euro). Under his leadership, IVECO consistently achieved profitable sales growth and realized significant efficiency gains, though FIAT itself has certainly seen its fair share of difficulties.
Between 1997 and 2003, Alapont held several leadership roles at Delphi Automotive Systems.
He began his career at Delphi as executive director, energy and chassis systems. Soon after he was promoted to president, Europe, Asia and Middle East, at which time he became a member of the Delphi Strategy Board, the company’s top policy-making group.
In 2003, Alapont was president of international operations and vice president of sales and marketing.
From 1990 to 1997, Alapont served in a variety of key positions at Valeo Group a leading global automotive supplier. He started at Valeo as operations director of engine cooling systems, Spain, and thereafter became operations director for worldwide heavy-duty engine cooling systems.
He was subsequently promoted to group vice president of worldwide clutch operations, and group vice president of worldwide lighting systems.
A native of Spain, Alapont began his career at Ford Motor Co. in 1974 and, during the next 15 years, held a number of management positions, from quality and manufacturing at Ford of Spain to powertrain and purchasing at Ford of Europe. Alapont earned degrees in industrial engineering from the Technical School of Valencia and in philology from the University of Valencia, in Spain.
More information and registration forms are at www.globalsymposium.org.