Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> July 7, 2003
PHILIPPE LEMAITRE is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Woodhead Industries, Inc., a $200 million NASDAQ company. Before joining
Woodhead in 1999, Mr. Lemaitre held the position of Corporate Vice
President and Chief Technology Officer of AMP, Inc., and was also in
charge of the Computer and Telecom Business Group ($2.5 billion in
sales). Prior to joining AMP, Mr. Lemaitre was employed by TRW, Inc., as
Executive Vice President of TRW and General Manager of the Automotive
Electronics Group ($1 billion in sales). He previously held various
management and research engineering positions with TRW, Inc.,
International Technegroup, Inc., General Electric and Engineering
Systems International. He holds a Master of Civil Engineering degree
from Ecole Speciale des Travaux Publics, Paris, France, and a Master of
Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Lemaitre
has been engaged in the development of technology and technology-driven
businesses throughout his career, beginning with the development and
application of structural and mechanical software for the design of
highly sophisticated products in the French nuclear, defense and
aerospace industries. At Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (SDRC)
(acquired by GE) he was involved in General Electric's 'factory of the
future' program. Following the closing of this program, Mr. Lemaitre and
the founder of SDRC started International Technegroup, Inc. (ITI), a $16
million consulting company concentrating in the field of manufacturing
and product design for the automotive and aerospace industries. As co-
founder of ITI, Mr. Lemaitre helped TRW develop a technology and
business strategy for the company's electronics business, and then
joined them as Vice President, Planning and Development in TRW's
automotive sector. At TRW, he worked first with the strategy development
staff and then as General Manager of the automotive electronics group to
implement the strategy he had developed. During his tenure as General
Manager, he integrated multiple independent electronic business units
into three divisions and grew the business organically from $120 million
to $500 million in four years. Key elements of this growth were the
successful entry into the Japanese market and the development of many
new high technology products such as the first electronic airbag sensor
system for Chrysler vehicles. Later, as Executive Vice President of TRW
and General Manager of its worldwide $1 billion Automotive Electronics
Group, Mr. Lemaitre applied his vision to significantly improve
performance in Europe and growth worldwide. As Chief Technology Officer
of AMP, Mr. Lemaitre oversaw the strategic direction of engineering,
research and product development for all business units. Prior to the
acquisition of AMP by TYCO, he was also responsible for AMP's worldwide
$2.5 billion computer, communications and consumer electronics
businesses. Now as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Woodhead Industries, Inc., Mr. Lemaitre is directing the rapid,
worldwide growth of the company's industrial communications business by
refocusing the company's more traditional electrical and connector
businesses toward the development and production of software and
hardware connectivity solutions to the global factory automation market. Profile
Mr. Lemaitre: We were founded in 1922, so we have been here for a while. We became a NASDAQ company
