March 24, 2000
KALAMAZOO -- James P. Holden, president of DaimlerChrysler Corp., will speak at Western Michigan University on Tuesday, April 4, as part of the Haworth College of Business Distinguished Speaker Series.
Holden will give his talk, titled "DaimlerChrysler: Building a Global Enterprise," at 7:30 p.m. in the Brown Auditorium of Schneider Hall. He will discuss how the 1998 marriage of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz has created a springboard for a global automotive enterprise.
Admission to the Distinguished Speaker Series is by invitation only.
A 1973 WMU graduate, Holden has spent his entire career in
the automobile industry. After eight years with the Ford Motor
Co., he joined Chrysler Corp. in 1981 as the Fleet Development
Manager of Truck Operations. Since then, he has risen rapidly
within the company, holding positions such as regional truck sales
manager, Chrysler/Plymouth general marketing manager, general
manager of the Chrysler/Plymouth division and numerous vice presidencies.
In 1998, when Holden was executive vice president of sales and
marketing, the Western Michigan University Alumni Association
presented him with its Distinguished Alumni Award. Holden also
became a member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler
AG that year and was named to his current position as president
in the fall of 1999.
The Distinguished Speaker Series, now in its fourth year, brings business, education and government leaders to campus to discuss a variety of topics of interest to the University and Southwest Michigan. Business and community leaders from Southwest Michigan, as well as WMU faculty, staff and students, attend the events. The series is coordinated by Dr. Christopher M. Korth, WMU professor of finance and commercial law.
Media contact: Jessica English, 616 387-8400, jessica.english@wmich.edu
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