Board of Directors

Phil Eyler is President and Chief Executive Officer of Gentherm, the global market leader and developer of innovative thermal management and pneumatic comfort technologies. Eyler joined Gentherm in December 2017 and serves on the Company’s Board of Directors.

As President and CEO, Eyler leads more than 14,000 employees in 14 countries, where he is responsible for the strategic direction and operational leadership of the Company. He is leading the company’s quest to strengthen the core business of growth initiatives on thermal management and pneumatic comfort technologies, Battery Thermal Management solutions and medical patient temperature management systems. The company is also transforming the future of personalized passenger thermal comfort with the smart, individual climate zone solution named ClimateSense®, tailored to the autonomous electrified and ridesharing ecosystem of the future.

Eyler joined Gentherm from Harman, where he served as President of the Connected Car division. Under his leadership, he oversaw the $3 billion division of more than 8,000 employees that was dedicated to developing integrated connected car systems encompassing infotainment, telematics, connected safety and cyber security solutions, among others.

Throughout his 20-year career at Harman, Eyler served in a variety of leadership roles of increasing responsibility. He was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harman’s Global Automotive Audio business. In this position, he delivered double-digit growth through organic growth, acquisitions and spearheading award-winning technology innovations. Prior to leading the Global Automotive Audio business, Eyler was responsible for Harman’s North American Automotive business and led Harman’s North American and Asian manufacturing group. He began his career at Siemens.

Eyler holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Sophie Desormiére has served as a director of the Company since 2012. Ms. Desormière is the Chief Growth Officer of Aliaxis Group SA/NV, a global leader in advanced piping solutions for water and energy.

As Chief Growth Officer, Ms. Desormière is responsible for product strategy, business strategy and models for accelerating growth and achieving sustainable performance, and marketing, all in support of Aliaxis’ Growth with Purpose strategy. Previously in 2022, she was Chief Executive Officer of NAVYA, an autonomous mobility systems company. Prior to joining NAVYA, Ms. Desormière served as the Chief Executive Officer of AALPS Capital, a private equity management company based in France.

Immediately prior to joining AALPS Capital in 2018, Ms. Desormiére was General Manager Marketing and Sales and Senior Executive Vice-President at Solvay, a Belgium-based developer of specialty chemicals starting in 2010. Previously, Ms. Desormiére spent 17 years in increasingly responsible positions at Valeo, an independent industrial group focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for the automotive industry, including Research & Development Product Line Director, Branch Marketing Innovation Director, Group Product Marketing Director and Comfort Enhancement Domain Director. Ms. Desormière is a member of the Board of Somfy S.A., which was publicly traded prior to becoming a private company in 2022.

Ms. Desormiére is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Paris, the Institut de Formation du Caoutchouc and the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.

David Heinzmann has served as director for the Company since August 2020. He is currently President and CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Littelfuse, Inc., a global manufacturer of leading technologies in circuit protection, power control and sensing. He has served as President and CEO since 2017. Mr. Heinzmann began his career with Littelfuse in 1985 as a manufacturing engineer and has held positions of increasing responsibility, including Vice President, Global Operations from 2007 to 2013 and Chief Operating Officer from 2014 to 2016. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Pulse Electronics Corporation from 2014 until its acquisition by Oaktree Capital Management in 2015. Heinzmann holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology and is a graduate of Stanford Directors’ College at Stanford University Law School and AeA/Stanford Executive Institute at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Ronald Hundzinski has served as a director of the Company since 2016. Mr. Hundzinski served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of TI Fluid Systems until his retirement in April 2023. Prior to that he was Executive Vice President, Finance, of Tenneco since January 2019. From 2012 to 2018, Mr. Hundzinski was the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of BorgWarner Inc. During his career with BorgWarner, he held a range of finance leadership positions including Treasurer, Principal Accounting Officer, and Vice President of Finance for the BorgWarner Turbo Systems business.

Mr. Hundzinski holds a B.B.A. in finance from Western Michigan University and an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado.

Laura Kowalchik has served as a director of the Company since 2023. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Communications & Power Industries LLC (“CPI”), a global manufacturer of electronic components and subsystems primarily within the communications and defense markets, where she oversees the finance and accounting departments and is actively involved in strategy, M&A and restructuring activities. Prior to joining CPI, Kowalchik served as the Chief Financial Officer of Dayco Incorporated, a global manufacturer and distributor of engine drive systems and aftermarket services for automotive, heavy-duty, and industrial markets. Before Dayco, she served as the Chief Financial Officer of Kenwal Steel Corp., a flat rolled steel service center primarily for the automotive industry. Kowalchik served as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Urban Science, a global automotive consultancy and technology firm, prior to joining Kenwal Steel, where she was responsible for transforming the finance organization.

Kowalchik has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Richmond and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University.

Charles Kummeth has served as a director for the Company since August 2018. He is currently President and CEO of Bio-Techne Corporation, which is a leading developer and manufacturer of high quality purified proteins, antibodies, immunoassays, and instruments for biomedical researchers and clinical research laboratories. Prior to joining Bio-Techne, Mr. Kummeth served as President of Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography at Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and was President of the Laboratory Consumables Division from 2009 to September 2011. Prior to joining Thermo Fisher, he served in various roles during his 24-year career at 3M Corporation, most recently as the Vice President of the company's Medical Division from 2006 to 2008. Mr. Kummeth received a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of St. Thomas and a Master of Business Administration from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. He is a graduate of the University of North Dakota, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

Betsy Meter has served as a director for the Company since January 2021. She was the Michigan Managing Partner at KPMG LLP, a global firm that provides audit, tax and advisory services, from February 2018 until her retirement in December 2020. Ms. Meter served as the Partner-in-Charge of Audit for Michigan from 2013 to 2017, in addition to her role as an Audit Partner for 24 years. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for VSP Global, Automotive Hall of Fame, and is the Chairwoman of Oakland Family Services, Inc. She is a former board member of the Detroit Economic Club, Detroit Regional Chamber, Downtown Detroit Partnership, and the former chairperson of the Michigan Association of CPA’s. Ms. Meter holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and received an Honorary Doctor of Law degree from Walsh College.

Byron T. Shaw II has served as a director of the Company since 2013. Dr. Shaw has been the President of Byron Shaw LLC, a consulting firm providing diligence, strategy and execution advisory services focusing on automotive technology and related services, since 2012. From 2006 to 2012, Dr. Shaw worked at General Motors in various positions, most recently as Managing Director of the Silicon Valley Office for General Motors and General Motors Ventures LLC. From 1998 to 2003, he worked at BMW in various positions, including Principal Technology Engineer and Manager of Advanced Technology. Dr. Shaw currently serves on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of several privately-held companies, including Smalltech LLC, Project Renovo, Qualia Networks, Auto Tech Ventures, Up Shift Cars and Rotary Wing Engine. Dr. Shaw received Bachelor of Science degrees and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering/controls from University of California, Berkeley.

John Stacey has served as a director of the Company since May 2018. Mr. Stacey currently serves as a Special Advisor of Harman International Industries, Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

From 2008 until his retirement in 2022, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Harman. Previously, Mr. Stacey served in various senior human resources positions with AnheuserBusch InBev SA/NV from 1990 to 2008, including, most recently, as Vice President, People for InBev North America, InBev Central and Eastern Europe from 2005 through January 2008. Mr. Stacey currently serves as a director on the Board of Powell Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq:POWL). He also serves as a member of the compensation committee and the nominating and governance committee of Powell Industries.

Mr. Stacey received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Dr. Ken Washington has served as a director of the Company since 2023. He is currently Senior Vice President, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Medtronic plc, a global healthcare technology company that provides device-based medical therapies and services. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Software Engineering, Consumer Robotics for Amazon Lab126, a premier innovation hub and subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. Prior to joining Amazon Lab126, Dr. Washington held varying positions at Ford Motor Company, including serving as Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Washington worked at Lockhead Martin Corporation as Vice President of the Advanced Technology Center and its first Chief Privacy Officer. He has also served for approximately 21 years in various roles at Sandia National Laboratories, including as Chief Information Officer. Dr. Washington previously served as a member of the Board of Directors of McKesson Corporation from July 2019 to October 2021.

Dr. Washington earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M University. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2020 and was inducted into the Black Engineer Hall of Fame in 2023.