DENSO to Host Panel Discussion Focused on Diversity & Inclusion in Honor of International Women's Day

Female leaders in the automotive industry to discuss their career journeys, how inclusive and collaborative workplaces drive business success

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DENSO

Mar 05, 2020, 07:30 ET

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO, the world's second largest mobility supplier, today announced it will celebrate International Women's Day by convening a panel discussion and networking event featuring influential women in the automotive industry. The event is part of DENSO's larger commitment to promote diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace and automotive industry at large.

The panel – moderated by Terry Barclay, president and CEO at InForum Michigan – will feature female leaders who will reflect on their successes, challenges and personal experiences in the automotive industry. During the conversation, Kara Grasso, vice president of Strategic Operations at DENSO, and the panelists will discuss the importance of D&I in automotive, how it improves business and innovation, and how companies can address the issue with passion and sensitivity. Other speakers include:

Julie Fream, president and CEO, OESA
Kristen Tabar, vice president, Technical Strategy Planning Office Division, Toyota

At the event, 25 female high school students from Southfield Public Schools will participate in mentoring sessions with the panelists and professionals in attendance. The sessions will provide these future leaders the opportunity to discuss potential career paths in the automotive industry, as well as gain insights on how to navigate the professional world.

"I am honored to share the stage with other industry leaders to put a spotlight on how we can create better, more dynamic workplaces, and share with young people how they can jumpstart their own career journeys," said Grasso. "At DENSO, we prioritize diversity and inclusion because we understand how impactful it can be at all levels of the business. By fostering a company culture that values all backgrounds and experiences, we enable innovative thinking, stronger team dynamics and create more opportunities for success."

Last year, Grasso and her fellow panelists contributed to the book, "The Road to the Top is Not on the Map: Conversations with Top Women of the Automotive Industry," published by SAE International. The book offers women in all professional stages insights on career challenges, education and lifelong-learning, mentorship and sponsor relationships, personal satisfaction, resilience and work-life integration.

DENSO's International Women's Day Celebration will begin at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, March 5 – with student mentoring sessions taking place from 9:45 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. and the panel discussion happening 11 a.m. to noon.

As part of DENSO's commitment to creating a diverse workplace culture, the company appointed Denise Carlson as its first executive lead of North American Diversity & Inclusion in 2019. DENSO has reinforced this commitment by sponsoring WE19, the world's largest career fair for women engineers, and the 2019 SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) National Convention.

If you want to work for a company focused on improving D&I not just within its walls, but also across the automotive industry, visit densocareers.com.

About DENSO Corporation
DENSO is a $48.3 billion global mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in its 221 facilities in 35 countries to produce thermal, powertrain, mobility, electrification, & electronic systems, to create jobs that directly change how the world moves. The company's 170,000+ employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO spent 9.3 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019. For more information about global DENSO, visit https://www.denso.com/global.

In North America, DENSO employs 27,000+ engineers, researchers and skilled workers across 31 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs 17,000+ employees across 13 states and 25 sites. Headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, in fiscal year ending March 31, 2019, DENSO in North America generated $10.9 billion in consolidated sales. Join us, and craft not only how the world moves, but also your career. For more information, go to https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/.

SOURCE DENSO