hr influencer
GLOBAL POWERHOUSE
By Kristy Rydz
While Tony Papa packs his suitcases in Detroit,
Mich., a stone’s throw away from his hometown of
Windsor, Ont., by last count he’d visited more than
32 countries in the name of human resources.
In his over 30-year career, he’s built factories and HR departments
from the ground up everywhere from the U.S. to China,
never leaving the automotive industry where he got his start.
Papa is the senior vice-president, Global Human Resources for
Federal-Mogul Motorparts, a supplier of aftermarket products
like chassis, wiper blades and spark plugs and original equipment
for some of today’s most recognized transportation brands. He
spends 50 per cent of his time travelling to the company’s four
main regions – North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia-
Pacific – to connect with staff face-to-face.
HR Professional got an inside look at the challenges he faces and
what he sees on the horizon for the industry.
When did you decide you wanted a career in human resources?
Tony Papa: As a teenager, I went to work as a summer student in
an 800-man automotive manufacturing plant as a general labourer
making steel wheels. I really became enamored with manufacturing
– how they converted raw material to a finished, painted
wheel – and how an organization operates and the whole value
stream. But the extra dynamic of the employee relations’ culture
really struck me. I followed up and got to know some of the union
representatives and obtained a copy of their collective labour
agreement to read about all the rules and regulations. After this, I
was hooked. Then and there, I decided that when I went to higher
learning, this is what I wanted to focus on.
What was your first HR job?
TP: I accepted a position with one of Canada’s largest banks, serving
as an organization development and training coordinator. It
was a period of change in the industry, moving from heavy paper
predominance to electronic management systems. It was great experience
in understanding the effect these changes had on their
human capital.
Tell me about your current job. What are your main areas
of responsibility?
TP: In concert with our CEO and other executive committee
members, I develop a three- to five-year business plan and then
collaborate very closely with our global business unit presidents
in its execution. On a daily basis, I’m in meetings, in person or remotely,
with people all over the world on various strategic planning
initiatives. Having established a Centre of Excellence HR model,
I have the good fortune of having key HR partners in every global
region through which we drive strategic policy deployment. To
this end, we’ve had enormous momentum and focus on global talent
management and development, designing of a worldwide Total
Rewards framework and rapid expansion in the Asia Pacific Rim, all
the while integrating two new major acquisitions into our business.
“PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE
WORLD. THEY ALL WANT TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT
AND DIGNITY, REWARDED AND RECOGNIZED.”
– TONY PAPA
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HRPATODAY.CA ❚ MAY/JUNE 2016 ❚ 61