IWIM 2020 Honoree: Cindy Jaudon, Regional President, IFS Americas

Cindy Jaudon, IFS Americas

At a time when glass ceilings for women are all but shattered, Cindy Jaudon, Regional President of IFS Americas, can be remembered as one of those women that broke them first. However, her gender and her fresh leadership don’t tell the whole story. Cindy’s pragmatic management style and knack for acquisitions speak as loud, if not louder, than the glass ceilings she has smashed as a female executive.

Cindy was a leader in manufacturing long before joining IFS. She worked for several mid-size and Fortune 500 companies, including Mitutoyo, C.N.A. Insurance, and Deutz-Allis. Before IFS, she was director of Effective Management Systems. When Cindy joined IFS 15 years ago, executive level management at the enterprise software company, was all European middle-aged white men, she remembers, before single handedly changing the face of her company’s leadership. Even more rare were executive women in aerospace and defense, where she got her start as industry director, along with leading the manufacturing sector. Cindy became regional president in 2004, and she has grown the IFS’ North Americas sector to the company’s largest region globally.

Knack for Acquisitions and Customer Satisfaction

Cindy’s expertise was key in four IFS acquisitions of other leading companies in the enterprise management software industry. Metrix, a field service management vendor, has become the foundation of IFS’ fastest growing product. In 2019, the business sector grew by 51 percent.

Under Cindy’s leadership, from 2017 and 2018, IFS North Americas grew its workforce from approximately 265 employees to 800. The company depends on her to deliver double-digit revenue growth through her precision focus on new customer acquisitions, new sales to existing customers, and a high customer retention rate.

Cindy’s direction fostered unprecedented satisfaction and retention levels for the company. It’s no surprise IFS Americas has been growing profits over the last 15 years, when it averages a 97% customer retention rate and an 87% customer satisfaction. According to those that nominated Cindy for this award, those numbers are a result of her management style, which marries results-driven achievement with abiding care for the customer.

Cindy also recognizes other valuable woman leaders and has brought them to IFS. Overall, the company’s workforce is 34 percent female, compared to the technology industry average of 23%. She is also not a stranger to awards, having been a nominee for the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, which recognizes the world’s top female executives and entrepreneurs.

While supporting women leaders in business and engineering, Cindy has also grown the IFS footprint in a large and demanding market. She also leads the organization with a devotion to work-life balance.

Read her advice to future female manufacturers as well as the 19 other 2020 Honorees by downloading the 2020 Influential Women in Manufacturing E-Book.