Successful Women in Chemistry - American Chemical Society

Chapter 17

Diane M. Artman, Marketing Director: Transitions

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Jody A . Kocsis Technology Manager, Engine Oils, Lubrizol Corporation, 29400 Lakeland Boulevard, Wickliffe, OH 44092

Making things happen, taking risks, and willing to make sacrifices are just a few words that describe Diane M. Artman. She has put her chemical engineering and M.B.A. degrees to good use in a wide variety of positions. Diane is currently Marketing Director at GrafTech, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Diane Artman earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, where she graduated Magna cum Laude. Diane started her career at Harshaw/Filtrol Partnership, as a process engineer, where she developed process improvements for manufacturing. After a year, Diane joined the Lubrizol Corporation as a process engineer for the Research and Development pilot plant. One highlight of Diane's career as a process engineer was the development of computer models based on the kinetics of an alkylation process. This process increased capacity 50%, saved $250,000 in raw materials, and eliminated a capital investment projected at $800,000. While working fulltime in the pilot plant, she also earned her M . B . A . from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. After four years in the pilot plant, Diane was promoted to program manager in automatic transmission fluids (ATFs). In this position, Diane managed a $6 million testing budget to obtain customer approvals for ATFs. To utilize the skills from her M . B . A . , Diane later became an A T F product manager. As such, she developed, coordinated, and implemented the business plan, which contained

© 2005 American Chemical Society

Hinkle and Kocsis; Successful Women in Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2005.

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Diane M. Artman (Courtesy of Diane M. Artman.)

the key strategies for profit/market share goals. She also executed a successful product launch with pricing strategies and promotional information. In 1995, Diane moved into the Heavy Duty Diesel Segment as a commercial manager for the Americas. She led the commercial development for a product upgrade that resulted in market share growth of approximately eight points. Serving as commercial manager for these two business areas, she significantly strengthened the business by creating competitive advantages, resulting in profitable business growth.


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In 2000, Diane was promoted to Global Manager of Engine O i l Technology, responsible for managing a decentralized international research and product development group. The group achieved tremendous success in developing new products while operating within budget guidelines of $24 million. The 16 members of this culturally diverse team were located in Cleveland, Ohio; England; and Japan. Clearly, utilizing cross-functional teams was critical to control the time and cost of bringing solution-based technology to market. Diane's high degree of personal accountability and skillfulness at being both technically credible and commercially savvy were important assets in this role.

Change is Good To apply her skills and expertise in a new field of technology, Diane decided to make a career change in 2003. It was a difficult decision, but a great development opportunity in a leadership role. She is currently the Director of Marketing at GrafTech International Ltd. GrafTech International Ltd. is a global company with more than 100 years of experience in the carbon and graphite industry. They manufacture and provide high-quality natural and synthetic graphite and carbon products and services for: steelmaking, ironmaking, fuel cells, ceramics industry, aluminum manufacture, and electronics.

Success Diane defines success in two ways, "At life, you are successful when your children say you are a 'great mom' and look up to you. In business, I feel successful when I see people grow through their assignments, contribute to the organization's success, and reach their potential. I really enjoy taking the undeveloped talent and nurturing it." Diane likes to make things happen for the people she manages. She has created opportunities for everyone, including oversea assignments, project challenges, and recognition. Karen Allen, program manager at Lubrizol had this to say about

Diane, "Diane has helped Lubrizol succeed by taking a personal interest in other outstanding achievers and helping them achieve their potential She works behind the scenes to make things happen for these 'rising stars'. She has definitely helped me, and I consider her my first true mentor. We need more people like Diane in the industry—people who make it easier for others to be effective. "


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Leadership


A good leader has to have a vision and an ability to implement that vision with the help of the team, but for Diane leadership is more. A leader must be an example to others and walk their talk. A leader has to be an example of integrity and honesty. Leaders have to be authentic. When Joe Gibbs, N A S C A R owner for driver Bobby Labonte, won the 2000 N A S C A R championship he said, " Y o u win with people." Diane embraces Gibbs' comments and believes a leader wins through the development of people and recognition of their skills and accomplishments. Leadership does not mean getting people to do their jobs; it means getting people to do their best.

Family Diane attributes her success to having her family behind her one hundred percent. Diane has been married to Dick for over 20 years and has two children, Alex and Chelsea. Dick said this about his wife: "Juggling career, family, and personal time is not easy! Sometimes sacrifices have to be made, and it is usually Diane that has to make them but success seldom comes without sacrifice. To make this work we make it a team effort and, while we don't see each other as much as we might like, we make our time together special. While we are apart I know that she is working hard and meeting her responsibilities. I am very proud of what she has accomplished and always enjoy saying, 'That's my wife! ' " Balancing work and family can be challenging. Diane says she keeps the balance by maintaining her priorities, staying organized, and having excellent home support. It takes teamwork to overcome any challenge. Her husband assists with the housework and does all the cooking. Family time is important to Diane and her family enjoys beach vacations together. Diane also enjoys watching N A S C A R racing, especially her favorite driver, Bobby Labonte. Diane has even indulged in racing classes, as she has the need for speed!

Science as a Career Her advice to women thinking about science careers: " G E T O U T OF


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Y O U R C O M F O R T Z O N E . " The horizon is wide open. Look for opportunities to grow, take on challenging assignments, develop new skills beyond the technical, and volunteer for opportunities for customer interaction or international travel. Finally Diane lives by these simple fundamentals: Do what you say and walk your talk. Make things happen for people. People need to see you for who you are.


Successful Women in Chemistry - American Chemical Society

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