Vanguard Magazine

Game CHanGer 44 APRIL/MAY 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com See the full interview online Q What is your role in your organization today? I serve our customers and employees in the capacity of President & CEO. A key part of my role is to inspire an environ- ment of innovation, leadership, and col- laboration which allows us to deliver su- perior value to all our stakeholders. It is this culture that drives our performance and our unrelenting drive to satisfy our customers. Another key aspect of my role is the development and execution of our strategy for the growth of our busi- ness. Through the strengthening of our customer relationships, we have been able to align our strategies which in turn makes us all more efficient and effective now and in the future. Q What was your most challenging moment? My most challenging moment in this position was coming into the company's established customer dynamics and using my style to create positive disruption. To demonstrate a new way of thinking and show how this new focus will help both our company and our partners to suc- ceed. The challenge was overcome with our commitment and execution, as well as, the open-minded view from senior leaders within our customer base. Q What is the one thing that has you most fired up today? The rapidly evolving new technologies being developed in our industry. For example, autonomous defence vehicles platforms are growing, leading to nu- merous new opportunities for innovative products. Every time we as an industry look at our products and how they help our end customers I can't see how you wouldn't be fired up. Q What is a habit that contributes to your success? I would say the habit that has helped me the most is a positive focus on solving a problem versus dwelling on the emotion of an issue. We have all heard the saying that "Adversity builds character" but I also believe that adversity reveals char- acter. By approaching daily issues with a positive 'move forward' attitude it estab- lishes our minds with the right habits so when larger issues come our way we can attack them the same way and turn them into opportunities. Q What people or organizations do you believe best embody the innovation mindset? Tesla. They are not afraid to set big goals that many believe are unattainable and then do whatever it takes to achieve those goals. I feel like it is a company that holds absolute belief in what they can do and are out to prove that every day. Q What are some of the biggest impediments to innovation in your industry sector? The biggest impediment to innovation in our industry, and any industry for that matter, is a closed mind. We all need to have a "What if?" attitude when it comes to pushing the limits of established pro- cesses and technologies. The companies that can come to terms with the risks of being first adopters can create a compet- itive advantage regardless of the industry they are in. Q How has innovation become engrained in your organization's culture and how is it being optimized? By no means are we perfect but the drive to ask the questions and look at ourselves as our customers and potential competi- tors do, drives our culture of challenging our current level of thinking. The open communication pathways and our com- mitment, both mentally and financially, to exploring new ideas and concepts are what optimizes this culture in our orga- nization. Q What technologies, business models, and trends will drive the biggest changes in your industry over the next two years? The need for light-weighting vehicles is one of the top priorities within the ground-based defence vehicle market now and it will only be greater in the future. We are seeing vehicle platforms continu- ally getting heavier to meet the ever-in- creasing threats they face. As a result, our industry is already seeing a desperate need for light-weighting solutions to offset these increases. At FPH, our technology meets this industry need through our in- telligent materials, electrical systems, and engineered products divisions. As we look to the future our continued investment in our R&D programs is evolving our tech- nologies and processes to position us at the forefront as a solution provider to our customers and stakeholders around the world. Q What is your parting piece of advice? The team that you have will be the key to your company's success. Build that team so that they complement each other's strengths and sure up each other's weak- nesses. Then empower that team and your company will be unstoppable! Manoj Mehta President & Ceo FPH GrouP inC.

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