Before she ever set foot in an HEC Paris classroom, Mona Levacher, EMBA ’16, had her foot on the gas, so to speak.

The product of Iran’s finest business and engineering schools, she cut her teeth at Renault before vaulting the corporate ladder at Hyundai, Faurecia, Groupe PSA, and Stellantis. Her 17-year career in the fiercely competitive, male-dominated automotive industry has largely amounted to crescendo after crescendo of shattered glass ceilings and unalloyed success.

As tempting as it may be to rest on her proverbial laurels, she’s prepared to do the exact opposite. “This is a journey and it’s not over,” she says. “I am preparing for the next challenge now.”

Eyes on the prize

“Companies are used to very similar profiles in the people they hire. When you don’t have that profile, things become complicated,” she explains. “And they don’t know what to do with that.”

Before looking forward, she looks back at how she got to where she is today: Stellantis’ Global Head,  Software Product Offer and CX (Customer Experience), a future-facing position that sees her helming of one of the colossal automaker’s key strategic verticals. Her career’s meteoric trajectory was sparked by her own ability and power of will and the support of her family, and refined by the guidance of excellent mentors at every stage of her career journey.

“I was lucky to have the first boss that hired me [at Renault]. He mentored me, and helped me understand how the industry works,” she says. “He was the first of three excellent bosses who took me under their wing. This showed me how the role of coach and mentor is very important in this industry, especially for women.”

Her entrée into the automotive industry came via Renault’s corporate seat, where she was the French giant’s first Iranian high-potential hire. “It was both an honor and a responsibility,” she says of that distinction. “I told myself that I was there to pave the way for other Iranians and other underrepresented nationalities in the automotive world. It gave me an important sense of purpose.”That sense of purpose drive her toward four companies, each Tier-1 firms, across four continents and four very different company cultures. Still, at each stop, she met with familiar challenges.

“After working for many years, at some point in time you find yourself asking questions to which you cannot find the answer. For example, ‘what kind of leader am I?’ You’ve seen the kind of leaders that exist in a company, both good and bad, and can learn from both; but I needed to talk to an expert about why certain decisions were made.”

“Companies are used to very similar profiles in the people they hire. When you don’t have that profile, things become complicated,” she explains. “And they don’t know what to do with that.”

Still, her skill and burgeoning expertise saw her pass with flying colors each time, and as her prominence at work grew, so did her responsibilities. As she built up her management chops, however, even her mastery of the maddeningly complex processes that are a daily feature of the auto industry couldn’t protect her from niggling doubts.

“After working for many years, at some point in time you find yourself asking questions to which you cannot find the answer. For example, ‘what kind of leader am I?’ You’ve seen the kind of leaders that exist in a company, both good and bad, and can learn from both; but I needed to talk to an expert about why certain decisions were made.”

Asking the right questions, finding the right answers

She had reached a point in her career when she had more questions than answers about some of the most pressing issues at work. Coupled with the realization that she needed to branch out beyond the sprawling-yet-insular automotive industry led her to the HEC Paris Executive MBA.

“I was very much looking to find a network,” she explains of her reasoning. “The quality of the academic staff and participants are second to none. Also, HEC Paris is the only school with such a valuable brand that also gives you the opportunity to specialize during the EMBA in courses across the globe through campuses and partnerships.”

Once she was in, Mona discovered that the way the program began set the tone.

Leading the way

“I realized that the great or poor performance of a team member very much reflects the manager’s way of thinking and capabilities.”

“It starts with getting to know yourself during the Leadership module. Then, you get to share it with others. The way it was built was that you get prepared, you understand, and it gives you the willingness to change, so the articulation of the program was excellent.”

With the Leadership module coming at the beginning of the course, she quickly discovered her preconceived notions about management were in for a radical overhaul.

“What happened for me there was a real change of mindset. You get to learn about the growth mindset, and then you start learning that maybe the way I’d been rewarding or congratulating people was wrong. This was a real ‘wow’ moment. The way I had been analyzing people in the past was maybe wrong.” All in all, she says, “I realized that the great or poor performance of a team member very much reflects the manager’s way of thinking and capabilities.”

As one of the youngest participants in her class, she counts herself lucky to have been placed among such supportive classmates. “You create this kind of link that people end up kind of being like your family: people want you to succeed in this access to a network of awesome people. We’re still in touch, we travel together, we talk, we party together– it’s kind of continuous learning.”

The enduring bond with her classmates—in their support, advice, and guidance— are among the benefits she holds dearest from her days at the program. She knows she can count on their counsel when she needs it, when navigating the most complex issues at work.

Into the future

“As a leader, you are responsible for the culture…you can make a difference in terms of empowering other women, educating the company on how women and men have different leadership and communication styles, and that the best way to empower a woman is really to believe in her and give her the opportunity.”

“After the EMBA, one of my objectives was to switch from classic automotive structures to more modern automotive structures. This meant tackling topics like digital transformation and electric vehicles and connected vehicles and vehicle software. So, I discussed this potential change with my former EMBA classmates. I asked for advice, and we went through the pros and cons. As EMBA alumni, we know that if you want to make a decision, or you want to make a change, at your disposal are capable people there who will point out the things you missed or that you never even thought of in the first place.”

As a corporate leader at one of the world’s largest automotive firms, it would be only natural for aspiring female leaders to come to her to advice. And for Mona, part of the reward of achieving so much— one of the outcomes of receiving stellar mentorship in both professional and academic settings— is the privilege of doing just that.

“As a leader, you are responsible for the culture,” she says. “Don’t give up on this. You can make a difference in terms of empowering other women, educating the company on how women and men have different leadership and communication styles, and that the best way to empower a woman is really to believe in her and give her the opportunity.”

And as she reflects on that advice, her answer drips with the inner strength, skill, and conviction that was coaxed out of her during her time at HEC Paris.

“I had these fundamentals already. The HEC EMBA helped me to develop self-awareness, know better my strengths and weaknesses, focus on where I need to improve and which strong points I need to leverage in order to thrive in the corporate world. I think it’s one of the best decisions I have taken in my life. The experience was so eye-opening to me that honestly it’s hard to describe how much of a difference it made.”

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More CEOs of Fortune Global 500 companies have graduated from HEC Paris than any other university in Europe. Nearly 4,000 graduates are currently CEOs, CFOs, or have founded their own companies. According to the Financial Times, the HEC Paris has the best EMBA program in Europe and #3 in the world; click here to learn more.

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