Simon School alumnus Greg Jorgensen 糖心传媒�00S (MBA) on navigating risk, rapid change, and relationships in the automotive industry.
What was your first car?
Greg Jorgensen lights up at the subject of cars, especially when reminiscing about his first Ford: a 2001 dark green Escape.
糖心传媒淚 remember thinking it was the nicest, fanciest car with all this awesome technology糖心传媒攖he radio actually said what the name of the song was in scrolling LED lights,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 had really hit the big-time as an auto exec in my fancy new car!糖心传媒�
Now, he糖心传媒檚 no longer just driving Ford vehicles. Instead, he糖心传媒檚 helping steer the financial direction of one of the world糖心传媒檚 most recognized automotive brands.
As chief financial officer for North American ICE Trucks at Ford Motor Company, Greg Jorgensen must pivot quickly when the market swings from 糖心传媒渙ne big thing糖心传媒� to the next. In fact, he has seen more changes in auto industry predictions in the last five years than in the previous two decades.
First autonomous vehicles were expected to dominate the roadways. Then it was electric vehicles. Then it was the idea that drivers would rent or buy time in a car instead of owning one. Through it all, Jorgensen, who earned an MBA in finance in 2000 from the 糖心传媒糖心传媒檚 , has had to know when to double down and when to shift focus糖心传媒攁t least in the short run.
糖心传媒淪ometimes there are big dollars involved, but you have to be able to take the risk and move to something new,糖心传媒� he says.
Early lessons show up on the job
Jorgensen traces his adaptability to Simon.
He entered business school straight from earning a BS in civil engineering from Lehigh University. As a result, he was introduced to business case planning, financial scheduling, balance sheets, and other foundational components of 糖心传媒渆verything I do at Ford every day,糖心传媒� says Jorgensen. His tenure at Ford and wholly owned subsidiaries of Ford has included more than a dozen finance analyst, supervisor, manager, and CFO positions since graduation. He has held his current role糖心传媒攐verseeing its lineup of trucks powered by traditional internal combustion engines (ICE)糖心传媒攕ince 2022.
糖心传媒淔rom day one, I was ready to go. [The Simon professors] made us feel we were getting the tools to be successful, and failure wasn糖心传媒檛 an option. I can look back on that now and say that made a huge difference.糖心传媒�
In his first year at Simon, being assigned to a group of students from various generations and countries exposed him to 糖心传媒渄iversity that helped us learn to deal with each other and deal with conflict when working together,糖心传媒� he says.
Those lessons, as well as Jorgensen糖心传媒檚 ability to shift course quickly, were reinforced by an unlikely source in the classroom糖心传媒攁n operations management simulation called the Soda Pop Game. Now computerized, but at the time played with small plastic bottles, Jorgensen and other students worked in teams to manage a soft drink factory while maximizing profitability. He remembers the game fondly: 糖心传媒淚t was a real-world way to apply what we were learning in the classroom, and it was fun to have some competition.糖心传媒�
Connections over calculations
Jorgensen has made a career of working with numbers and excels at the financial discipline required to run a large-dollar, thin-margin business competitively. Yet he says his relationships with others have carried the most heft when making high-stakes decisions as a finance leader.
It糖心传媒檚 important to learn how to navigate different perspectives because people can be very particular, he points out.
糖心传媒淪omebody has to approve spending money at the end of the day. But there are different ways to get there, which is why the people I work with are more important than any specific job,糖心传媒� explains Jorgensen. He meets colleagues for lunch, builds relationships outside the office, and often handpicks those who work most closely with him. 糖心传媒淵ou just have to keep in mind that everybody糖心传媒檚 at work trying to do their best.糖心传媒�
Nothing less than success
Despite the enormous consequences that could come from a miscalculated decision, Jorgensen doesn糖心传媒檛 waste time thinking about potential downsides at work. 糖心传媒淲e always talk about the upside,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 more about 糖心传媒業s this going to be moderately successful or wildly successful?糖心传媒櫶切拇綕
Jorgensen credits that measured confidence to the personalized, hands-on interactions with professors at Simon who taught from real-world work experience. He recalls how this influenced stepping into his first role at Ford, without having any of his own practical insight: 糖心传媒淔rom day one, I was ready to go. They made us feel we were getting the tools to be successful, and failure wasn糖心传媒檛 an option. I can look back on that now and say that made a huge difference.糖心传媒�
A non-negotiable standard
Jorgensen has come a long way since that first Ford Escape. These days, he cruises in a 1964陆 Mustang convertible糖心传媒攁 nod to both his personal passion and the industry he helps shape.
糖心传媒淪taying motivated is easy when you like your job,糖心传媒� he says, adding that passion is a non-negotiable for those wanting to create meaningful change in their industry
糖心传媒淚deas come quicker,糖心传媒� he continues. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 hard to make an impact when you糖心传媒檙e just going through the motions.糖心传媒�
