The Executives' Exchange Episode 026 - Chandra Brown, CEO, MxD
On this episode of the Executives’ Exchange, Chandra Brown, CEO of MxD, joins Margaret Mueller, The Executives’ Club of Chicago’s President & CEO to discuss her experiences as a female who has been a leader and transformer in the supply chain and manufacturing sectors. Tune in to hear about Chandra’s lessons learned moving through her career, including during her tenure as the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing, reshoring opportunities for those in manufacturing, and increasing diversity in the field.
0:45 - Introductions
1:40 – Chandra shares about her early life and growing up in a family of tradespeople 4:58 – Chandra discusses a potential shift of focus to trades and the concept of continuous learning 7:01 – Chandra discusses the best advice her parents gave her 7:44 – Chandra discusses her impactful post-college move to Oregon and the impacts it had on her life and leadership style 10:46 – Chandra describes the two companies that helped define her and set her on her path in manufacturing: Oregon Iron Works and United Streetcar 14:10 – Lessons learned from and experience of being appointed by President Obama to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing 25:20 – Chandra describes the creation of MxD 27:17 – How MxD is impacting American manufacturing 29:13 – The inevitablity of reshoring 32:16 – Discussing “Made in America” 34:15 – The biggest challenges for reshoring 36:15 – Chandra discusses environmental concerns 37:28 – Comparing being a woman in tech then and now 39:04 – Questions to ask about diversity in tech 40:30 – Diversity in tech: you can’t fix it unless you measure it 42:28 – Chandra discusses wanting to see more women in positions of power 44:10 – How other people can learn the lessons Chandra has 45:22 -- “The kitchen cabinet” -- surrounding yourself with a diverse group of people 47:35 – Chandra discusses her love of fantasy novels 48:27 – Discussing Chandra’s retirement from role with MxD 49:00 – Knowing when it is time to move on 51:55 – Discussing empathy and new leaders 53:45 – Chandra’s plan for life after stepping down 56:35 – Parting words for the Chicago business community
Episode Link: https://www.mxdusa.org/
Host: Margaret Mueller, CEO & President, The Executives’ Club of Chicago
Producer: Eva Penar, Chief Content & Communications Officer, The Executives’ Club of Chicago
Thank you to our podcast sponsor, Shure Incorporated.
For nearly 100 years, Shure Incorporated has developed best-in-class audio products that provide high-quality performance, reliability and value. Headquartered in Niles, Illinois, our history of innovation and expertise in acoustics, wireless technology, and more enables us to deliver seamless, transparent audio experiences to a global audience. Our diverse product line includes world-class wired and wireless microphones, networked audio systems and signal processors, conferencing and discussion systems, software, a loudspeaker, and award-winning earphones and headphones.
Find Shure on: