action, Brown had her team analyze customers’ needs and their own capabilities. “The new model positions us for growth long -term while improving how we serve our customers today,” she says. “The change also redefined our Engineering Center for Excellence and allowed our technology experts to fully focus on driving technology differentiation and innovation for the years ahead, while enhancing our product reliability.”
Brown’s strategy seems to be paying off. Her unit has helped Honeywell wallop the competition. The company’s third quarter revenue growth (year over year) was 15.20%, compared to 13% for Eaton Corp. and 12% for General Electric.
ADVICE TO THE NEXT GENERATION
Brown, who earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental health from Old Dominion University and a master’s degree in management as a Sloan Fellow from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has made tremendous strides in corporate America. Her managerial dexterity earned her a spot on Automotive News’ list of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry.
Despite her hectic schedule and long days, the married mother of one mentors executives in America and abroad and serves on the board of Jobs for America’s Graduates, a dropout prevention and postsecondary transition program for at-risk youth.
One of her greatest joys is sharing her success strategies. She offers this advice for African American women who plan to make a similar ascent in business: “Deliver results. Let your work speak for you the loudest. Build a network by finding successful people with high standards you admire and strive to make those attributes your own. And finally, never stop learning.”