The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) has appointed P. Matthew Pohlman as its new CEO. He joins the team in response to AIAG CEO Emeritus J. Scot Sharland’s retirement after more than 17 years at the organization’s helm.
Under Sharland’s leadership, AIAG membership increased exponentially to its current count of more than 4,000 member companies, including the latest innovators in automotive, electric and autonomous vehicles, military, aerospace, heavy equipment, electronics, semiconductors, and more. Sharland also worked diligently with internal and external teams alike to create additional opportunities and resources for future industry professionals and smaller suppliers, and to extend AIAG’s presence and support in the southeast United States, Mexico and around the globe.
“I am truly excited about AIAG’s future and cognizant of the fact that the AIAG experience will, and needs to be, very much different than it is today,” notes Sharland, now CEO Emeritus. “Great organizations don’t look back; they evolve and move forward faster, and Matt Pohlman is the right guy to take AIAG to the next level.”
With his entire career to date in the automotive industry, Pohlman brings experience in virtually all areas of supply chain management – including supplier quality, manufacturing, production control, distribution, purchasing, sales and marketing, reverse logistics, customs, and even last-mile delivery to retail stores.
Beginning at Federal-Mogul, Pohlman initially directed North American field operations out of Detroit, before relocating overseas as general director of European logistics. In the early 2000s, Pohlman accepted a new opportunity at Delphi Automotive, where he oversaw the Delphi Product & Service Solutions Division’s global supply chain of 22 warehouse locations and several hundred staff around the world. He also went on to serve as the organization’s vice president of integrated supply chain in Luxembourg for approximately four years, and most recently worked for Icahn Automotive, WABCO/ZF Group and First Brands Groups LLC in various senior executive roles.
“For the past 38 years, I have been involved with the global automotive industry at both the domestic and international level, across all facets of the supply chain,” says Pohlman. “I have also lived and worked in the U.S., England, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Canada – all of which has allowed me to develop a unique perspective that I look forward to sharing with the AIAG team, our volunteers and members, and the automotive and mobility industries more broadly.”
Prior to joining AIAG, Pohlman also served on the board of directors for the Motor & Equipment Remanufacturers Association (MERA) from 2011-2013 and AIAG’s board of directors from 2015-2017. He is currently a board member for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), Eastern Michigan (Great Lakes) Roundtable. Pohlman will also be assuming Sharland’s position on the International Automotive Oversight Bureau’s (IAOB) board of directors at the end of 2022.
“I am excited to be leading such an important professional organization – which I’ve been associated with for many years now – and eager to explore new opportunities to grow and transform AIAG in response to industry needs,” Pohlman concludes. “As the automotive and mobility industries continue to evolve, we are already working to set the tone for future innovation and expansion, and look forward to offering even more value to members and non-members alike.”