Ep 43: Leading with Purpose at Schneider Electric: Insights and Lessons from Annette Clayton's Inspiring Journey

Annette Clayton serves as the chief executive officer for Schneider Electric North America. She is responsible for the business strategy and developing and fostering new growth business models in the areas of sustainability, decarbonization, and renewables for the company's largest operating region, which generated $12 billion in revenue in 2022. She is also a member of Schneider Electric's executive committee.

Annette has successfully led the execution of the North American region, overseeing a workforce of 30,000 employees and achieving impressive sales exceeding $8.5 billion in 2021. Her contributions extend further as she previously held the title of Chief Supply Chain Officer, responsible for the $13.4 billion Global Supply Chain (GSC) operation. Under her leadership, Gartner recognized this operation as the global leader, ranking it first in their annual Top 25 list.

Annette also sits on numerous public, private, and industry boards, including serving as a two-term Chair of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. As a Champion for the 'Journey To Lead' organization, she also contributes to accelerating the diversity and trajectory of women in leadership.

Annette's commitment to industry extends to her founding membership on the Zero100 Advisory Board, focused on advancing cross-industry initiatives to design supply chains that not only enhance customer experiences but also make positive environmental and societal contributions.

Clayton holds a bachelor's degree in general engineering from Wright State University and a master's degree in engineering management from the University of Dayton. Her educational journey also includes completion of the executive development program at the London Business School.

Key themes emerging out of our conversation:

• Creating a psychologically safe environment
• Being the change you want to see in the world
• Taking risks helps build confidence and resilience.
• Finding something you love and being passionate about it
• Setting Boundaries, communicating, and forgiving yourself
• Acknowledging Impostor Syndrome, Trusting your instincts
• Personal and professional development is a lifelong journey
• Embracing Feedback, never missing an opportunity to receive it.
• Learning agility to ramp up in new roles and develop effective strategies
• Creating Adaptive Policies, keeping in mind culture and challenges allows diversity and inclusion

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