Missy Depinet

Director of Global Indirect Spend
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

The world cannot survive without manufacturing. From the food we eat and the houses we live in, to the cars we drive, our lives depend on manufacturing. Manufacturing also offers careers with countless opportunities for learning and advancement. That’s why I’m passionate about and have dedicated my career to manufacturing.

Missy has been a constant at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company for more than 2 decades. She has worked and provided leadership within finance, IT, supply chain and procurement. Missy is always looking to increase efficiency in everything she does, which is why she is known for her fresh thinking and ability to create innovative structures and processes. As she has implemented some of these new processes and procedures globally, her efforts, and those of her team, have resulted in company savings averaging $17 million per year. She’s also leading a working capital improvement initiative which has increased cash flow by $20 million to date. In recognition of her work, Cooper Tire recently awarded Missy its prestigious Chairman’s Award.

Missy is passionate about helping others succeed through coaching and mentoring. She engages frequently with her team members to understand their career goals. She then takes the time to align activities and experiences for them so they can pursue those goals. Missy is also sought out by others who see her as a role model and want to learn from her—and she is always willing to listen and advise.

Through her participation in the Cooper women’s network, Missy shares ideas about what it takes to be a successful female leader in a male-dominated industry. Beyond Cooper Tire, she provides inspiration and support for students at Bowling Green State University as a member of the Supply Chain Institute Advisory Board and as a mentor in the Women in Business Leadership program.

Missy is also a long-time champion for breast cancer research, has volunteered on Habitat for Humanity builds for more than 15 years, and has participated in United Way activities for 20 years. Encouraging her team members to join her in such initiatives, Missy creates team-building exercises that benefit Cooper, its employees and the wider community. Missy’s community involvement and commitment to developing others is contagious and demonstrates her leadership well beyond the workplace.