Angelika Sokalla is a Plant Manager at Nexteer Automotive with more than 20 years of experience in the automotive manufacturing industry. My career has taken me from the shop floor, starting as a Machine Operator, through Team Leader, Continuous Improvement and Production leadership roles, to my current position as Plant Manager. This journey has given me the opportunity to understand manufacturing from different perspectives and shaped the way I approach leadership and operational excellence. For the past three years, I have been leading a diversified manufacturing operation of around 200 employees. My main focus has been on building a culture where people take ownership, continuously improve and understand how their everyday work contributes to business performance. One of the most rewarding parts of my role has been seeing how a strong culture can transform a small manufacturing site into an operation capable of delivering significant cost performance, developing practices that are shared across the wider organization, and creating a workplace where people want to work and develop. I have also been honored to receive the Inspiring Leader recognition four times. I believe that sustainable operational excellence is ultimately about people — creating the environment, leadership and trust that enable them to perform at their best.