Alexandra Smedley: cultural curiosity, problem solving skills and an ownership mindset lead to a first successful ten years in automotive internationally.

In this episode we are celebrating the career to date of Alexandra Smedley.

Alexandra’s most recent role was Customer Care and Aftersales Director, Europe for General Motors based in Zurich, Switzerland.

After an accomplished tenure with General Motors that took her to five distinct locations within and outside of the US, she’s says it’s time to pause and reflect.

The desire to be rooted in community has led her to the decision to stay in Switzerland as she looks to enter the next chapter of her professional career.

In our conversation Alex shares that she was a good student who initially aspired to a medical career.

She found a way to use her problem solving skills in a medical device startup until a family friend suggested General Motors were hiring.

A school trip to Europe had shown her she liked to travel and so GM’s requirement for candidates to be prepared to go wherever they said was an attraction rather than a drawback.

Alex learned how to influence people at dealerships and back at Head Quarters until one of her managers took her with him into the Aftersales business.

She took ownership of the opportunity to manage the Autozone account and achieved success growing the value of that relationship.

She brought senior leaders of both businesses together to recognise the value of the partnership. That initiative got her recognised and won her a new mentor.

When the time was right, she pushed for an international opportunity and landed an amazing experience in Shanghai in a joint venture with mostly Chinese colleagues.

After a brief spell back in Michigan, Alex was excited to join GM’s re entry to Europe which was like being in a start up within a big corporation. Once again she got to deploy and develop her skills to set up an aftersales function from scratch.

I loved getting to know Alex and hearing her story. I hope that the insights she shares can help you or someone you lead and care about. Maybe this interview can unlock some new relationships and opportunities for Alex in Switzerland!

As always, I look forward to hearing what resonates with you.

Connect with Alexandra:

LinkedIn Profile

About Andy

I'm an experienced business leader and a passionate developer of people in the automotive finance industry, internationally.

During over twenty five years, I have played a key role in developing businesses including Alphabet UK, BMW Corporate Finance UK, BMW Financial Services Singapore, BMW Financial Services New Zealand and Tesla Financial Services UK.

At the same time, I have coached individuals and delivered leadership development programmes in 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

I started Aquilae in 2016 to enable “Fulfilling Performance” in the mobility industry, internationally.

Learn more about Fulfilling Performance

Check out Release the handbrake! The Fulfilling Performance Hub.

Connect with Andy

LinkedIn: Andy Follows
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

Join a guided peer mentoring team: Aquilae Academy

Thank you to our sponsors:

ASKE Consulting
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Aquilae
Email: cvm@aquilae.co.uk

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Episode recorded on 13 September, 2024.