Jody Devere - Ask Patty Automotive Advice for Women

Today's Guest: Vicki Poponi AVP, Automobile Product Planning American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Vicki Poponi is the assistant vice president of Product Planning at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM). In this role, Poponi leads the Product Planning team which has the charter of driving AHM’s strategic objectives through representing the needs of the U.S. market and customer in vehicle development. Her team is responsible for Honda and Acura product planning, strategic planning, market research and quality assurance coordination for AHM. Since joining AHM in 2005, Poponi has focused on improving the company’s product planning and launch planning processes in order to create a market-driven culture that leverages the strengths of the entire AHM organization. Poponi joined AHM with a rich and diverse background in general management, marketing, business development, operations and engineering. Prior to joining AHM, Poponi worked for Honeywell’s Garrett Turbocharging Systems where she held the positions of Vice President, Strategic Growth and Director of Worldwide Operations. In addition, Poponi had general management responsibilities for Garrett’s Thermal Systems business. Prior to her tenure at Garrett, Poponi worked for over a decade in the paper industry as a program manager for Kimberly-Clark Corporation and as an operations manager for Scott Paper Company. Poponi received a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Drexel University, and she holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A resident of Palos Verdes, Calif., Poponi is married and has two children, a 21-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter.