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Diane Gulyas is group vice president - DuPont Performance Materials. Diane joined DuPont in 1978 and spent her first 10 years in a variety of sales, marketing, technical and systems development positions. For the next four years, she was European business manager, based in Geneva, for Engineering Polymers, and plant superintendent at the Mechelen, Belgium site. From 1994 to 1997, she held two positions as global business director. From 1997 to 2003 Ms. Gulyas was vice president and general manager for DuPont Advanced Fiber Businesses in Richmond, Virginia. In February 2003, she was named group vice president of the $3 billion Electronic & Communication Technologies Platform. In April 2004 she was named chief marketing and sales officer, where she was responsible for corporate branding and marketing communications, market research, e-business and marketing/sales capability worldwide. She was named to her current position in April 2006.
Diane also currently serves on the Board of Viasystems, a privately held printed circuit board company based in St. Louis, and the strategic planning and advocacy committees of the Delaware Nature Society and the Board of Directors for the Ministry of Caring. |
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ExpatWomen's Interview with Diane |
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ExpatWomen: Diane, firstly congratulations on your impressive list of career achievements. I know that you are an advocate of women working abroad. How exactly do you think working abroad gave you an edge over ambitious, hard-working women in your company who did not work abroad? |
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Diane: I had the opportunity to go overseas relatively early in my career. I had been working at DuPont for 10 years in technical, sales and marketing roles. I was one of the first women to go over in a business management role (and with a trailing non-working husband). My first job was profit and loss for a $200M business, pan-European. So I had the opportunity to learn how business was done in UK, France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain (all of this was in pre-European Union days). I led a highly diverse team with an innovative product line.
My second role was leading a manufacturing organization of 350 people, all Belgians, 24/7 operation, which was completely different from my first role. Working overseas, you have so much more freedom (and responsibility) versus being at home. It took me two to three promotions before I would have that freedom and authority again back home. Hence, I learned a great deal. These two experiences combined set me apart from all of my peers – men and women. The combination of the challenge of the positions and the ability to make a difference and be recognized truly set me apart from others. But it was not without risk… I could have failed in either role, especially without my normal support network. Establishing your support network in a new geography is critical to success.
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ExpatWomen: Can you please share with us your three greatest experiences as an expat working abroad? |
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Diane: 1. Learning how to work in a true multicultural environment. For example, when I was working in Switzerland as business manager, my team included Italians, French, German, Swiss and Dutch, but there was no one dominant culture, since it was our European HQ and it was very interesting to work where there is no dominant culture – you really learn to use the best of each individual.
2. Learning to work in a culture where my strength was also my weakness. My greatest strength is in the area of communication and I found the Belgians to be the great under-communicators. I needed to re-learn what great communication looks like in a totally different cultural context. Being a great American communicator was clearly not going to work. I learned to be a much better listener.
3. Growing closer to my husband… when you are overseas, you have no support network – no girlfriends, no sisters, no mother… You have to be everything to each other. It makes a good relationship stronger and a weak relationship fail. I saw both in the American expats in our company. Fortunately, my relationship grew stronger.
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ExpatWomen: What do you miss most about working abroad and what would tempt you to go on assignment abroad again in the future? |
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Diane: I love discovering different cultures and new ways of looking at the world. The years I lived abroad were a period of constant discovery. I love exploring the business side and the personal side, learning about different cultures, history, food and traditions. I would absolutely love to live and work outside the US again. Today, I spend about 30-40% of my time traveling outside the US on business. This year, I have already been to Mexico, India, Russia, Japan, China, Singapore, Germany and Switzerland. |
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ExpatWomen: Diane, in addition to working abroad, to what else do you attribute your career success and your mention on Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women list? |
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Diane: I believe that most successful people are consummate learners… they never stop learning… each interaction with someone and each meeting is a new opportunity to learn and add to their skill set. I believe that the most successful people view themselves as a leadership work-in-progress that is never complete. And I believe that the most successful leaders are great communicators because you have to be able to sell your vision and ideas to others. Learning, self-development and communication skills are three critical elements that I work on all the time. Continuous improvement is a way of life. |
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ExpatWomen: Diane, you are already a success story: you run DuPont’s largest business unit – a US$7 billion operation, with a 7,500-strong global team. What do you aspire to next? The CEO’s chair perhaps...? |
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Diane: I love any opportunity to use my expertise and strong interest in international business. I have been with DuPont for 30 years and just when I start to get bored, they throw another challenge at me. This year, I am the champion for growth of the company in India and Russia and I love helping these country teams. Two very different countries and cultures.
I am also on the board of a small electronics firm with 90% of their manufacturing in mainland China. I am interested in joining another board where my international expertise is valued. Who knows what the future will bring but I am certain that it involves international business challenges.
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ExpatWomen: Thank you very much for your time Diane and we wish you ongoing success in the years ahead. |
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August 2008 |
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