Marina Willisch is part of a group of young leaders of large companies in Brazil. Graduated in law, studied in Germany and worked in the legal, financial and tax areas, and for more than 15 years in the automotive industry. She joined Mercedes-Benz do Brasil in 2003 and, ten years later, was invited by General Motors to be tax director. In 2019, she became the first woman to occupy the position of vice president of GM South America. Frank, direct and owner of an impressive simplicity, she gave the following interview to Estadão at the company’s headquarters in São Caetano do Sul (SP).
In 2021, GM was greatly impacted by the lack of components. How do you evaluate the company’s performance in the country last year?
For GM, 2021 was a year of resilience, growth and challenges. The continuity of the pandemic and the lack of components were important difficulties. But we faced these challenges and made progress. Connectivity and safety in cars have gained even more relevance. We were able to see this and anticipate consumer needs. The Onix, Onix Plus (sedan) and (SUV) Tracker have modern connectivity systems and some of the best levels of energy efficiency in the country. grew even in the midst of the pandemic. Therefore, 2021 was a very difficult year, but we showed that we have the ability to adapt and know how to deliver what the consumer wants.
How to convince the parent company that Brazil should produce a new car or develop technologies?
Any decision-making process to bring an innovation, an investment or create a product is done in a collegiate way. We listen to the technical areas, the consumer and other market agents. Hence, we study the best way to reach the expected result. The new Montana, for example, is an amazing product. It’s a car that will please even people like me, who carry a lot of things everywhere and have a big family. I can’t say more to avoid spoilers. In Brazil, the Chevrolet brand is very well accepted by consumers. And we have strong engineering. The country has enormous human capacity, with very technical, specialized and committed people, which gives us a great competitive advantage. In addition, practically all the suppliers are in the country and have a level of excellence, technology and capacity to produce and innovate together with GM.
Still on 2021, what would you do differently and what lessons have been learned?
There are a lot of things that we do and then realize that we could have done it differently. But we had more hits than mistakes. In 2021, we strengthened the process of expanding diversity, inclusion and equity. We implemented the exclusive trainee for black people, the first in the automotive sector. GM, by definition, is the result of the combination of several cultures and countries. We seek to create actions to walk the path of equity. And for 20, 30 years, we have maintained a program of female empowerment. The directors and vice presidents talk a lot about this (much more than I do), about female leadership in the areas of manufacturing and engineering, and create actions aimed at equity. In 2021, GM offered broad support regarding employee mental health. We closed factories and offices, many people got sick and we had to deal with the loss of colleagues and family members. HR created a program to help us work on issues such as anxiety and grief. My grandmother passed away shortly after this project began. I don’t know how to deal with grief and I broke down in the middle of a meeting, but I didn’t feel ashamed. Before, I thought I had to be strong. We understand that employees need to be well, that no one should feel overwhelmed. We got it right by looking at the human side. This will ensure that we will remain in one piece after facing difficult times.
You are the first vice president of GM in Brazil. Have you ever been treated differently for being a woman?
Machismo exists. Have you ever harmed me? No. I never felt directly affected. That’s why we have to take affirmative action. People who are not the majority in an environment have to see themselves there. I was new to Mercedes and arrived very early for a meeting that never started. Someone said they were waiting for Mr. Willish. And I said, “Mr. Willish is here.” It’s my husband’s last name. Everybody laughed. But maybe that wouldn’t happen if I were a man. We don’t need to be treated differently. That’s what inclusion is. A girl asked how I manage to be an executive and take care of the house. I replied, “Who says I can? Go to my house so you can see the mess that is there!” (laughter).
In the US, GM has been investing heavily in electrification. How will it be here?
I wouldn’t risk making predictions, but for GM, the goals are zero accidents, emissions and congestion. This is a global plan, which has been running since 2017 and of which Brazil is a part. In five years, there will be electric cars with prices close to those with combustion engines. The choice will be made by product type, not by price. The technology already exists, but mass production requires investment. We have to show the benefits of the electric car. The other day I left here with a Bolt that had 350 km of autonomy and I arrived home with 370 km. It’s magic. But, of course, the consumer needs to have that kind of experience.
In 2040, GM will stop producing combustion engine vehicles…
Combustion cars will last in Brazil for a long time. And that’s not a problem. We are improving the technology of these engines. With Inovar Auto (a federal program focused on innovation), we reduced emissions from our cars by 22%. With PL7 (new phase of the emission reduction program in force since January 1st), we reached an average improvement of 43% in energy efficiency. In any case, all manufacturers in the sector will migrate to electrification.
The information is from the newspaper. The State of São Paulo.
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