Lismar Berro Senior Purchasing Manager at Ford Motor Company
Month by month Latino Press, through De Mujer a Mujer, recognizes the value and impact that women have in our society. In this month of May we have invited a Super Woman, who we hope motivates you by reading her inspirational life story.
She has strong strategy skills and experience in delivering contributions to the bottom line. Lis has demonstrated
the ability to deliver breakthrough business enhancements through productivity, system solutions, quality improvement, and cost optimization. Her style is very dynamic and team oriented. She encourages “innovative thinking” and has strong analytical skills and a drive for excellence.
Berro is Senior Purchasing Manager at Ford Motor Company – Customer Service Division, a position she
has held since June 2020. In this position, she is responsible for leadingthe Powertrain and Remanufacturing Purchasing Teams, the Suppliers Technical Assistance, Total Value and Cost Management. Equipment estimation.
She is also a proud wife and mother of two children, she played soccer in college, she loves salsa dancing, her dogs, cooking and the outdoors. Berro immigrated to the United States from Venezuela in 1999. She joined Ford Motor Company in 2000 and, due to her passion, hard work,and team building approach, she was quickly promoted to a managerial position. During her career at Ford, she held management positions in Manufacturing, Product Development, and Customer Service, including being the first 6-Sigma Master Black Belt for the Rouge Production Complex, where she led the deployment of the 6-Sigma analytical methodology for the product quality and improvement of customer satisfaction, in multiple production plants.
Prior to her roles in Ford’s Customer Service Division, Lismar held various positions in Vehicle Operations, including Manager of Production Engineering at launch and during the early years of the Dearborn Truck Plant. In that role, she drove preparation for the Ford F150 production launch, identification of productivity improvement opportunities, work methodology and capacity planning. Additionally, Lismar was the Company’s Ergonomics Co-Chair, “Managing Change” Champion, “Best Practices” Coordinator, and the Company’s leading representative in labor standards negotiations. Among other roles in Vehicle Operations, Lismar also served as Ford North America Packaging Engineering Manager Responsible for Export Packaging Engineering and Production Supplier Packaging, leading global standardization efforts and significant improvements to Commercial Program Agreements.
Before her career at Ford, Berro worked for Procter & Gamble in Caracas, Venezuela, her hometown, being the first employee to work in its largest production area, the Synthetic Detergent at the Caracas Plant that supplied, at that time, the vast majority of detergent consumed in Venezuela and other Latin American markets. Her success as a pioneer in the manufacturing field at P&G opened an opportunity for other women to join the operations team and advance their technical careers. Berro’s academic background includes a Master of Product Development from the University of Detroit Mercy and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Sim n Bol var University of Venezuela.
Berro is an active member of the community, inside and outside the corporate workplace. She is recognized as a leader within the Venezuelan American community in Michigan and is the vice president of the Ford Hispanic Network and the co-director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council of Ford’s Customer Service Division.
1.- TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE FROM AND WHAT MADE YOU STUDY THIS CAREER?
I am from Caracas, Venezuela. My Dad was a very hard worker and was passionate about learning. He was continuously trying to learn something new, new technologies, how to fix things… If anything needed to be repaired in our house, my Dad would do it, especially the cars, and my brothers and I were his helpers. I remember holding the flashlight or passing the screwdriver and in doing so, learning how things worked and I loved it. My dad taught me to be curious, to appreciate understanding how parts fit together, to be resourceful, creative and resilient in finding solutions. And that is what inspired me to study Mechanical Engineering.
2.- HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN A LIFE OF INTENSE STUDY / WORK AND HOME WITH FAMILY?
It is all about flexibility, having a positive attitude and finding a balance. Sometimes you have to make small changes in your routine to fit all the different pieces but, when there is a will, there is a way. It also helps a lot that in our house we are a team, so we all work together and support each other.
3.- I AM IMPRESSED BY THE PROFESSIONAL LIFE YOU LEAD, HOW DO YOU DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP UP THE PACE AND ALSO KEEP INNOVATING?
I think I would call it passion. I really love my career and the company I work for. I enjoy trying new things and finding new solutions. I like new challenges, I see it like finding ways of putting a puzzle together. And the experiences are even more special when you get to share the journey with a great team. There is something very rewarding and inspirational about growing and learning together as a team. On the other hand, keeping up with everything can be stressful at times but I love it.
4.- WHAT CHALLENGES & DREAMS DO YOU STILL HAVE TO ACHIEVE?
I want to see my two kids becoming successful in their careers and I dream for them to find the same passion and loving what they decide to do. I also dream of increasing Latino and minorities representation in the Corporate workforce and actively participate in different mentoring, recruiting and cultural activities to enable our growth.
5.- WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE FOR MANY WOMEN TO DEVELOP THEIR LIVES AND CONSOLIDATE AS
PROFESSIONALS
Be confident. There are going to be challenges, more or less depending on your career, but there will be challenges. Just know that you can do it. Like my Mom says to me “If anyone can do it, You can do it” If you encounter people with biases that made you feel like you don’t belong or you are not the best for the job, don’t let their biases defeat you. Show them what you are made of, be resilient, be intentional, take it as a challenge, learn and grow and you will succeed.
