The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) has selected May-Leng Yau-Patterson, Head of World Class Manufacturing Mexico Operations for FCA US LLC (formerly Chrysler Group), as the recipient of its prestigious "Business Leader of the Year Award for 2018." Yau-Patterson will be honored with the Presidential Crystal Tower for this distinction at the IAOTP's Annual Award Gala at the Plaza Hotel at the end of this year. Yau-Patterson was just recently honored at IAOTP's 2017 Annual Awards Gala at the Ritz Carlton in NYC where she received "Top Female Executive" and the "Lifetime Achievement Award." In addition, Yau-Patterson will be featured on the cover of T.I.P. Magazine (Top Industry Professional) in the fourth quarter of 2018. Yau-Patterson was recently featured on the Reuters Building in Times Square, New York for her selection as "Woman of the Year".
With over three decades of professional experience in the logistics and manufacturing industry, Yau-Patterson has established herself as an accomplished professional and expert in the field. Starting as a Lead Logistics Analyst, she worked her way up, assuming positions with increasing responsibility for prestigious companies that included Ryder Logistics, TNT Logistics, Exel Logistics and General Motors, before joining DaimlerChrysler (now FCA US) in 2002.
In her current position with FCA US, Yau-Patterson is responsible for leading and coaching plant managers and the leadership teams at the assembly, engine and stamping plants in the implementation of World Class Manufacturing (WCM), a methodology that focuses on eliminating waste, increasing productivity, and improving quality and safety in a systematic and organized way. She is responsible for the development and engagement of people in the application of the WCM technical methods and tools to achieve operational excellence. WCM has been credited as one of the key strategies in the continued success of FCA US. Yau-Patterson is also a certified Global WCM Auditor who performs audits at facilities around the world.
During the span of her career, Yau-Patterson's responsibilities have encompassed overseeing Lean Manufacturing; Lean Production Methodology and Tools, Supply Chain Management; Logistics Management; Strategy Development; Purchasing; Material Handling & Packaging Solutions; Logistics Engineering and Industrial Engineering.
Yau-Patterson earned both her Bachelor of Science in Systems Analysis and Master of Science in Operations Research from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla.
