Sharon Ernest

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Global Account Director; President PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes at PPG

Detroit Metropolitan Area, United States

Overview

Sharon Ernest is a sales and marketing executive with over 20 years of leadership in the automotive industry, focusing on lighting, electronics, and interior comfort. Educated at Carnegie Mellon University with an engineering degree and holding an MBA, she combines deep technical expertise with proven business strategy to manage global OEM relationships.

She is a co-inventor on multiple patents, including one for a mercury-free automotive discharge lamp.

Personality Overview

Value Seeker

Price-Sensitive

Cautious & Analytical

While they don't hesitate to ask questions, they are generally risk-averse and tend to be late adopters.  It is quite likely of them to ask for pricing or other concessions. They generally do not appreciate an overfriendly approach and prefer to stay to-the-point.

Topics They Care About

Automotive Lighting
Her career includes multiple sales director roles at OSRAM, where she was a product manager for HID technology, and she holds patents for lighting components.
Automotive Finishes
Her current dual role includes being President of PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes, making this a central focus of her professional responsibilities.
Interior Comfort
As a former Executive Director at Gentherm, she has experience leading customer business units focused on interior comfort solutions and has highlighted innovations in this area.

Media Appearances

Sharon has no verified media appearances

Work History

11-2024
Global Account Director; President PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes at PPG
7-2020 - 11-2024
Executive Director - Customer Business Unit at Gentherm
7-2018 - 6-2020
Director of Sales at OSRAM Continental
12-2017 - 7-2018
Sales Director - NAFTA OEM Solid State Lighting at OSRAM
3-2013 - 12-2017
Strategic Account Manager at OSRAM

Education

1991 - 1995
BS from Carnegie Mellon University
2000 - 2002
MBA from UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 12 Location : Detroit Metropolitan Area, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Global Account Director; President PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes at PPG
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Insights For Selling To Sharon

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Tell them that you will come back if you don’t have a good answer for a question
  • Share as much information as possible regarding your product
  • Keep some extra margin in hand as they will likely negotiate the pricing

DONT's

  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence
  • Don’t try to be too friendly or informal with them
  • Don’t overhype the product/pitch, keep it measured

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Sharon is

  • Ensuring that the product delivers ROI, cost-effective pricing and process compliance are very important for them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Sharon

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Sharon move?

  • If they have the information that they need, they can move fast at making their decisions.
  • Can Sharon take some risk or not?

  • They can take risk if they are convinced that they have analyzed the circumstances well.


You And Sharon

Personality Compatibility


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