Patricia Ackerman named “Woman of Influence” by Business Journal of Greater Milwaukee
Patricia K. Ackerman, vice president-investor relations and treasurer, has been named one of 29 2012 Women of Influence by the Business Journal of Greater Milwaukee.
Ackerman was one of four women selected in the Corporate Executive category by the newspaper. She and her fellow recipients will be honored today at a special luncheon ceremony in Milwaukee.
Ackerman, who joined A. O. Smith in 1983, sees her role as helping other women who want to advance their careers at the company. In an interview with the Business Journal, she explained: “It is incumbent upon me to reach into our organization and be an advocate or a resource to professional women.”
“I’ve never really felt that I’ve been precluded from opportunities that were in line with what my aspirations were,” she continued.
Ackerman was named a vice president and treasurer of the company in April 2006—making her the highest ranking woman in the company—and added the investor relations role two years later.
“I like really understanding what the finance community views as ‘hot buttons.’ I’m talking to investors, many of whom are new to our story, and shepherding them through our history,” she explained.
Her lengthy experience in the company’s finance area includes 11 years as an assistant treasurer as well as positions as cash manager and manager-capital markets and international finance.
“I’m considered the resident expert, the one with the institutional knowledge in the finance area,” she told the Business Journal.
A. O. Smith Corporation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, offering a comprehensive line featuring the best-known brands in North America and China, as well as water purification products for residential and light commercial applications. A. O. Smith, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., employs approximately 10,500 people at operations in the U. S., Canada, Mexico, India, China, and the Netherlands.