Thunderbird Alumni
T-birds on the Move
Revathi Advaithi ’05 CEO, FLEX Flex, the Sketch-to-Scale® solutions provider that designs and builds intelligent products globally announced that Revathi Advaithi, has been named Chief Executive Officer and appointed to the Board of Directors at Flex. Prior to Flex, Ms. Advaithi was president and chief operating officer for the Electrical Sector business for Eaton, a power management company with over $20 billion in sales, 102,000 employees and a market capitalization in excess of $33 billion. She also had corporate responsibility for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. Ms. Advaithi managed the largest of Eaton’s businesses, consistently delivering high margins, while reducing earnings volatility. She secured more than $13 billion in sales in 2018, with an array of electrical solutions built on the strengths of full-scale engineering and support services. Ms. Advaithi has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and
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Thunderbird Magazine Spring 2020
Science in Pilani, India and an MBA in International Business from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. She currently serves as a non-executive director on the BAE Systems board. She also serves on both the executive committee and board of governors of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and on the board of the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. She is a strong advocate for STEM education for girls, women’s issues and diversity in the workplace.
Darrell Edwards ’09 Sr. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, La-Z-Boy Inc. La-Z-Boy Incorporated announced the promotion of Darrell Edwards to Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in May 2019. Edwards joined La-Z-Boy in 2004 and has held positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer. In his expanded role, Edwards will lead the company’s international manufacturing
operations, including its joint venture in Thailand. Edwards will continue to report to Kurt L. Darrow, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, of La-Z-Boy Incorporated. Darrow said, “Darrell has been the chief architect of the La-Z-Boy supply chain strategy. Under his leadership, every facet of our supply chain was realigned. In addition to establishing our Asian-based sourcing team, he played pivotal roles in the move to cellular production at our La-Z-Boy branded manufacturing plants and the formation of our cut-and-sew facility in Mexico. These initiatives, as well as countless others, drove significant efficiencies and cost savings, in addition to further refining our mass customization and speed-to-market advantage in the industry. It is a natural progression for Darrell to oversee our international operations as we look to drive further optimization across our business.” Edwards serves on the Advisory Board for the Global Supply Chain Institute at the University of Tennessee and the Michigan State University Supply Chain Management Council. In 2018, he was selected as a Rainmaker Award recipient by DC Velocity Magazine. Edwards holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia, an MBA from the University of Tennessee, and a Master’s in Global Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
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