Simon School alumnus Greg Jorgensen 鈥�00S (MBA) on navigating risk, rapid change, and relationships in the automotive industry.
What was your first car?
Greg Jorgensen lights up at the subject of cars, especially when reminiscing about his first Ford: a 2001 dark green Escape.
鈥淚 remember thinking it was the nicest, fanciest car with all this awesome technology鈥攖he radio actually said what the name of the song was in scrolling LED lights,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 had really hit the big-time as an auto exec in my fancy new car!鈥�
Now, he鈥檚 no longer just driving Ford vehicles. Instead, he鈥檚 helping steer the financial direction of one of the world鈥檚 most recognized automotive brands.
As chief financial officer for North American ICE Trucks at Ford Motor Company, Greg Jorgensen must pivot quickly when the market swings from 鈥渙ne big thing鈥� to the next. In fact, he has seen more changes in auto industry predictions in the last five years than in the previous two decades.
First autonomous vehicles were expected to dominate the roadways. Then it was electric vehicles. Then it was the idea that drivers would rent or buy time in a car instead of owning one. Through it all, Jorgensen, who earned an MBA in finance in 2000 from the 蘑菇传媒鈥檚 , has had to know when to double down and when to shift focus鈥攁t least in the short run.
鈥淪ometimes there are big dollars involved, but you have to be able to take the risk and move to something new,鈥� he says.
Early lessons show up on the job
Jorgensen traces his adaptability to Simon.
He entered business school straight from earning a BS in civil engineering from Lehigh University. As a result, he was introduced to business case planning, financial scheduling, balance sheets, and other foundational components of 鈥渆verything I do at Ford every day,鈥� says Jorgensen. His tenure at Ford and wholly owned subsidiaries of Ford has included more than a dozen finance analyst, supervisor, manager, and CFO positions since graduation. He has held his current role鈥攐verseeing its lineup of trucks powered by traditional internal combustion engines (ICE)鈥攕ince 2022.
鈥淔rom day one, I was ready to go. [The Simon professors] made us feel we were getting the tools to be successful, and failure wasn鈥檛 an option. I can look back on that now and say that made a huge difference.鈥�
In his first year at Simon, being assigned to a group of students from various generations and countries exposed him to 鈥渄iversity that helped us learn to deal with each other and deal with conflict when working together,鈥� he says.
Those lessons, as well as Jorgensen鈥檚 ability to shift course quickly, were reinforced by an unlikely source in the classroom鈥攁n operations management simulation called the Soda Pop Game. Now computerized, but at the time played with small plastic bottles, Jorgensen and other students worked in teams to manage a soft drink factory while maximizing profitability. He remembers the game fondly: 鈥淚t was a real-world way to apply what we were learning in the classroom, and it was fun to have some competition.鈥�
Connections over calculations
Jorgensen has made a career of working with numbers and excels at the financial discipline required to run a large-dollar, thin-margin business competitively. Yet he says his relationships with others have carried the most heft when making high-stakes decisions as a finance leader.
It鈥檚 important to learn how to navigate different perspectives because people can be very particular, he points out.
鈥淪omebody has to approve spending money at the end of the day. But there are different ways to get there, which is why the people I work with are more important than any specific job,鈥� explains Jorgensen. He meets colleagues for lunch, builds relationships outside the office, and often handpicks those who work most closely with him. 鈥淵ou just have to keep in mind that everybody鈥檚 at work trying to do their best.鈥�
Nothing less than success
Despite the enormous consequences that could come from a miscalculated decision, Jorgensen doesn鈥檛 waste time thinking about potential downsides at work. 鈥淲e always talk about the upside,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more about 鈥業s this going to be moderately successful or wildly successful?鈥欌��
Jorgensen credits that measured confidence to the personalized, hands-on interactions with professors at Simon who taught from real-world work experience. He recalls how this influenced stepping into his first role at Ford, without having any of his own practical insight: 鈥淔rom day one, I was ready to go. They made us feel we were getting the tools to be successful, and failure wasn鈥檛 an option. I can look back on that now and say that made a huge difference.鈥�
A non-negotiable standard
Jorgensen has come a long way since that first Ford Escape. These days, he cruises in a 1964陆 Mustang convertible鈥攁 nod to both his personal passion and the industry he helps shape.
鈥淪taying motivated is easy when you like your job,鈥� he says, adding that passion is a non-negotiable for those wanting to create meaningful change in their industry
鈥淚deas come quicker,鈥� he continues. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to make an impact when you鈥檙e just going through the motions.鈥�
