Felicia Sanders
Chief Human Resources Officer
Michelin
Felicia Sanders is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Michelin North America. She is responsible for all employee-facing functions of Michelin North America including recruiting, developing and retaining top talent. Prior to this role, she served as plant manager of Michelin’s passenger car tire manufacturing facility in Dothan, Alabama.
She began her career in the chemical industry as an engineer, and over the past 25 years, she has held many roles in general management, supply chain, business development, marketing and manufacturing management in the pulp and paper and chemical industries.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
Early in my career I realized that I enjoyed working with people and leading teams. While a large portion of my career has been in manufacturing leadership in one form or another, it has also been rich with opportunities to influence critical conversations and decisions on engagement, workforce design, diversity, equity and inclusion and leadership development. While the path to this role may not have been typical, it has been an exceptional opportunity to listen, learn and experience the evolution of the needs of employees.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
To me, leadership is a culmination of vision, motivation and behavior. It’s really the guiding principle by which we lead others. I would describe my leadership style as a servant motivator. It invigorates me to collect a team, motivate them to reach their full potential, then see them win. At the same time, I am completely inspired by the energy of that team and so I live to serve others and help them meet their full potential.
With disruption being a key theme of the past year, where do you see your role as a CHRO going in the next 1-2 years?
I’m excited to use this platform to build on Michelin’s commitment to its employees, while creating an organization that meets the ever-changing needs of our workforce. As we think about the challenges of the last few years, we’ve felt a shift in our population. Now more than ever, employees demand great leaders and we expect that trend to continue. It is now the table stakes for the future of our companies. The C-Suite will be heavily focused on leadership, upskilling for the future and evolving organizational culture to be more inclusive.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CHRO?
Ensure employees’ voices are heard in the workplace. At Michelin, we lean heavily on our employees to drive the decisions that make the most sense for their business needs. Our employees know the most important problems to solve and questions to answer. We offer the guardrails and support, and they make it happen!
Putting our people first brings innovation in every part of the company. The reward comes from helping and supporting the teams to do their best and be their best. It’s a fantastic feeling to see the team come together to make the impossible happen.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- I love to watch professional and college sports!
- I am also very fond of the performing arts, such as Alvin Ailey and American Ballet Theatre.
- When able, my family and I love to travel to new places, and I have ambitions to see ALL 7 of the Wonders of the World.
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