ITEC women's leadership panel: Be yourself

AKRON, Ohio—It's no secret that the employment ranks of the tire industry are dominated by men, from the factory floor to the executive suite.

But there's a place for women all along the way, according to a handful of women who find themselves deep into their careers in the business.

Women working in tires, like countless other industries, find themselves up against obstacles that men simply do not face. These biases are baked into the business world that's long been dominated by men.

Entering the tire business as a female and then becoming successful was just one topic of a live women's leadership panel discussion at the International Tire Exhibition & Conference on Sept. 16.

Registration for the conference, which ends Sept. 18, remains open. Those registering today will have access to all upcoming presentations and anything they may have missed so far, including the panel discussion. Visit itec-tireshow.com for more.

Cara Adams is director of race tire engineering and production at Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. She oversees the company's entire production process for race tires, from design to manufacturing and management.

Adams has been with the company since 2003, so she's experienced a lot in the world of tires. And she's not afraid to admit a misstep early in her career.

"As far as what advice I would give back to a young woman, one of the things that I did wrong when I started … I thought I had to work harder than a man," she said.

"I always thought I had to prove myself just a little bit more just because I was a female. And that came off as arrogance. It didn't come off as I was really trying or I was working hard. It came off as I was trying to position myself above other people," she said.

"Be yourself. Work hard. That's the most important thing," Adams said.

"Whatever you want to do, we have successful women in all areas of our company and across the industry, so there's a lot of amazing things you can do. But never feel you have to prove yourself just because you are a woman," she said.

Andrea Berryman, director of product management for Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., believes women tend to not apply for jobs unless they are pretty certain they are qualified. Men, on the other hand, tend to do the opposite and reach for jobs where they have fewer qualifications than what's needed.

She suggests women adopt the same practice.

"Even if you feel you don't have the qualifications for it, go for it," she said. "The guys are."