After more than thirty years of leadership in manufacturing and nearly a decade with the company, Kathleen Edge, Southwire’s Executive Vice President of Operations, will retire from Southwire at the end of 2022.
Kathleen joined Southwire in 2013 and, in her current role, leads the company’s wire and cable operations including Southwire’s single largest strategic initiative, modernization. Prior to her time in Operations, Kathleen was integral in the transformation of the company’s Human Resources team, making it a strategic part of the organization with dedicated business partners across the company. Through her leadership, Southwire strengthened its disciplines in performance management, succession planning, total rewards, human capital management, DE&I and employee engagement, while maintaining the company’s deeply-held responsibility toward Giving Back and serving the places it calls home.
“I want to express my complete gratitude to our entire team,” said Edge. “I came to Southwire nearly ten years ago, and I tell a lot of people that I wish I would have come 20 years ago. We have accomplished so many important things together, and I want to thank the team for not only their efforts, but for their friendship. We do right by our employees, our customers and our communities – and I know that nothing but good is in store for the company. Moving forward, Southwire is in good hands.”
As Edge prepares to retire, Southwire will be making organizational changes to support a successful transition. Moving forward, Rebecca Cranford, Senior Vice President (SVP), Manufacturing, will assume leadership for all wire and cable manufacturing. Aaron Asher will now serve as SVP of Wire and Cable Distribution and Materials Management. Cranford and Asher, as well as Nilesh Sivaramakrishnan, SVP of EHS, Lean, Quality and Process Engineering and Will Berry, SVP of Modernization, will report directly to Norman Adkins, President of Wire and Cable and Chief Operating Officer.
“Kathleen’s experience, expertise and commitment to our employees, our values and our strategy have been instrumental as she has helped position Southwire as an employer of choice,” said Adkins. “She is a well-respected thought leader not just within the walls of Southwire, but in the broader manufacturing industry. I want to thank Kathleen and wish her the very best of luck in her future endeavors – she will be deeply missed by the Southwire team.”
