DON WALKER | The National Summit

DONALD J. WALKER
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Magna International Inc.

Don Walker was named Co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors for Magna International on April 3, 2005. As Co-CEO, Walker leads Magna, a $26-billion global automotive supplier that designs, develops and manufactures components and systems for the world’s leading auto makers.

Prior to being named Co-CEO, Walker was Chairman and CEO of Intier Automotive, a public company majority-owned by Magna International. Prior to taking Intier public, Walker was President and CEO of Magna from 1994-2001.

Walker joined Magna in 1987. Before joining Magna, Walker spent seven years at General Motors in various engineering and manufacturing positions, including involvement in a new vehicle launch and new assembly plant.

Walker graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BA Science Mechanical Engineering degree in 1980.

Walker is a founding member of the Yves Landry Advisory Foundation, which promotes the value of technical education. He is a past Chairman of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) and remains active in industry initiatives.

In 1995, he was a recipient of the Top 40 Under 40 Awards in Canada and The Wall Street Transcript selected him as the Gold Award winner in the automotive parts industry. Walker was also named a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” in 1998 by the World Economic Forum, and in 1999 he received the Professional Engineers of Ontario Gold Medal Award.

In July 2002, Walker became Co-Chair of the newly-formed Canadian Automotive Partnership Council (CAPC) with the Federal and Provincial Governments to identify both short- and long-term priorities that will help ensure the future health of the automotive industry in Canada. In 2007, Walker became a member of the Dean's Advisory Council, Faculty of Engineering, University of Waterloo. A native of Canada, Walker was born in 1956.

Panelist Perspective

Mr. Walker will serve as a panelist for the “Structural Cost” Town Hall for the Manufacturing Discipline.

Manufacturing in the United States has been the subject of decreased productivity and job losses in recent years, but it’s undeniable that manufacturing remains a vital component of the integrated global economy. And within that global economy, the U.S. remains a manufacturing leader.

A country must add value to commodities to keep its standard of living strong. Importing more finished goods translates into exporting more jobs. America cannot support its middle class through the service industry.

Against this backdrop we have opportunities to address specific challenges and help secure the viability of the manufacturing sector long-term. Some of our structural costs, which are made up of many factors, are under our control – these include material, labor, benefits, debt levels, depreciation, etc. However, there are other structural costs that are difficult to manage because they are out of our control and are higher than other industrial countries. Such costs include taxes, energy and regulatory compliance.

As we continue to streamline our costs in all areas, it is critical that we develop and implement a global economic strategy that considers the well-being of the country and the manufacturing sector ensures a level playing field globally, and promotes fair trade among all nations.