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Perfect complement: Barb Samardzich will soon join the newly formed board of automotive seating and interiors business Adient once it is spun off from industry giant Johnson Controls.

Perfect complement: Barb Samardzich will soon join the newly formed board of automotive seating and interiors business Adient once it is spun off from industry giant Johnson Controls.

GLOBAL automotive parts supplier Johnson Controls has announced that Ford Motor Company’s outgoing vice-president and chief operating officer for Europe, Barb Samardzich, will join the board of its automotive seating and interiors business Adient.

As GoAuto has reported, Ford announced last month that Ms Samardzich – one of the automotive industry’s top female executives – is retiring from the company on October 1 after more than 26 years of service.

Johnson Controls is in the process of spinning off Adient in a $US2 billion ($A2.6b) transaction and expects to have completed the separation by October 31, with Ms Samardzich subsequently joining the newly formed board.

Other board members include Johnson Controls executive vice-president (and incoming Adient chairman and CEO) Bruce McDonald, former Johnson Controls chairman and CEO John Barth, Boeing vice-chairman Raymond Conner, former Pepsico executive vice-president Richard Goodman, 3M senior vice-president Julie Bushman and SunCoke Energy chairman and CEO Frederick Henderson.

“Barb is an experienced global leader who adds significant international automotive industry experience to Adient’s board,” Mr McDonald said. “Her knowledge is a perfect complement to the broad industry expertise of the Adient board members.

“I am confident that Barb’s insight will strengthen the Adient brand and company performance.”

Ms Samardzich also serves on the board of MTS Systems Corporation, where she is a member of the compensation committee.

By Terry Martin

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