Mr. Andrea has 20 years of experience analyzing the automotive industry from a variety of perspectives. Prior to joining OESA, Mr. Andrea was chief financial officer and director of the Forecasting Group at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), where his research focused on industry structure and product technology issues. Previous to his position at CAR, Mr. Andrea was chief economist with CSM Worldwide, a Michigan-based automotive forecasting and consulting firm. In this position, he provided international economic briefings for clients and established the base economic forecasts for vehicle and component production forecasting models. Before this position, he served as an equity investment analyst with Roney & Co. (now Raymond James). In this position he followed automotive manufacturers and small- and mid-sized suppliers providing research to Roney’s retail brokers and institutional clients. Between 1994 and 1996, Mr. Andrea was director of forecasting with AutoPacific, Inc., providing economic and sales analysis and market and product technology trend analysis. Coming out of his graduate work at the University of Michigan, he worked for eight years with the University of Michigan’s Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation, leaving as an Assistant Research Scientist.
Mr. Andrea currently serves on the SAE International board of directors and is vice chairman of the SAE Detroit Section’s Global Leadership Conference and serves on the Section’s finance committee. He serves on the Society of Automotive Analysts’ board of directors. Mr. Andrea is also a member of and active in the Economic Club of Detroit, the National Association for Business Economics, and Detroit Association for Business Economics
Mr. Andrea earned a B.S. degree in business economics from Miami University (Ohio) and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Jim Gillette
Director of Financial Services
CSM Worldwide
Mr. Jim Gillette joined CSM in 2003, having served the prior thirteen years as Vice President of Automotive Forecasting with IRN, Inc. Beginning as a Strategic Marketing Consultant for the Automotive Components Group (currently Delphi) of General Motors, his experience in the global auto industry dates back to 1988.
The crux of Jim’s extensive experience in working with automotive component suppliers has focused on:
• Business plan development
• Forecasting global demand for vehicles, systems, modules, and components
• Acquisition scanning
• Acquisition due diligence on both the buy and sell side
Mr. Gillette has also worked extensively with the financial community in advising the risk-reward of funding opportunities in the auto industry. He currently works with over ninety financial clients with interests in the global automotive industry.
Mr. Gillette has served as a presenter for automotive suppliers around the globe including Stuttgart, Germany; Milan, Italy; Seoul, South Korea; and Nagoya, Japan. Widely quoted in the media and trade publications, Jim has appeared on CNBC’s business news program with Ron Insana, the Fox News Network (Neil Cavuto’s business program), and on CNN’s Lou Dobb’s Tonight.
Jim has published numerous articles and management reports covering a wide range of automotive topics including co-authoring Winning in an Age of Change: The new rules of engagement in automotive supply. Mr. Gillette has served as a member of the board of directors for both public and private auto suppliers.
In addition to an extensive career in automotive consulting, Jimhas served as a graduate level instructor for the prestigious Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University since 1982. Mr. Gillette earned his B.S. degree at GVSU and his MBA with a concentration in Finance in 1981 from the Seidman College of Business, GVSU. Having achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average for his academic work, Jim was elected to the Delta Mu Delta business honor society and the Phi Kappa Phi academic society; he received the Finance Department’s H.B. Shaine Award, graduating With Distinction in 1981. In addition, Jim was the 2005 recipient of the Seidman College of Business Outstanding Alumni Award for Professional Achievement.
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