Who's Who in the List
Managing director, GM Poland and Opel Polska
By : Jeffrey Sparshott
Warren P. Browne is a company man.
He started at General Motors in 1969 right out of high school as a mailboy, at the lowest level in the company. He gravitated to the company because, like many Americans that age, he loved cars. A brief jaunt as a consultant in 1985 was quickly corrected and he went back to the company the same year. The subsequent climb to the top wasn't immediate, but today Browne is managing director for GM Poland and Opel Polska.
The GM and Opel operations represent some of the biggest foreign investments in Poland and this year dealers will sell their 500,000th Opel in the country.
"We are very happy with our investment in Poland; we bet on the long term," he said. "Exports are a major portion of the investment in Gliwice and they are doing just fine."
The auto market is not at its strongest now, which will force the company to watch its expenses this year.
"The market may soften somewhat in Europe and this could have an effect on the plant," he said. A "very strong diet" and cost cutting are likely remedies, he added.
Born in America's motor city, Detroit, in 1951, Browne earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's of business administration from the University of Detroit, finishing his studies in 1979.
"Hard work, and a fascination with both strategy and detail," helped him move up the company ladder, along with "lots of help from the current leaders of GM: by watching them operate," he said.
Past notes:
1969 Started working with GM in the company's mailroom.
1979 Graduated from the University of Detroit with an MBA
1999 Appointed managing director of GM Poland.
Word of advice:
"The future is in the windshield, not in the rearview mirror."
