Susanna Morse Wins Thomas NextGen for Industry Award
Every month, Thomas—a major partner for a wide range of industrial stakeholders around the world—awards the NextGen for Industry Award to recognize an up-and-coming leader in the industrial sector. In November, that honor goes to Susanna Morse, APM Hexseal's own Director of Engineering and Technology!
The NextGen for Industry Award
The next generation of leaders is taking the industrial sector to the next level with fresh ideas and a bold approach to modern challenges. These innovators are responsible for driving company and industry successes, and it's important to honor their impact and influence. With that in mind, Thomas created the NextGen for Industry Award to recognize the industry's most promising talent.
Every month, Thomas gives the award to a young professional who is leading his or her company into the future. These leaders are nominated by their peers or managers with consideration to their innovations, thought leadership, contributions to the team, and their specialized area of business.
Susanna Morse
November's recipient of the NextGen for Industry Award is Susanna Morse, the Director of Engineering and Technology at APM Hexseal, a third-generation family owned business. Although she's leading the company forward, it wasn't her original career path.
Instead, her parents approached her after they were both diagnosed with cancer. They told her they'd probably have to sell the business—which was started by Susanna's grandparents—unless she wanted to get involved. She made the decision to leave the fitness studio she had been running for eight years and join APM Hexseal—which she did with a 100% commitment.
That's not to say it has been an easy journey. Many of the employees had been with APM Hexseal for a long time and they were happy with the way things were. As Susanna says, "Change is hard. People get so comfortable with what they're accustomed to that sometimes you walk in and wonder how they haven't realized there are newer, more effective ways to accomplish their goals."
With Susanna's vision, leadership, and collaborative nature, she's been able to create the necessary changes within the company to prepare it for continued growth.
Positive Change at APM Hexseal
Susanna joined a multi-generational team at APM Hexseal, complete with a variety of opinions and levels of comfort regarding how the business operated. By creating an environment of innovation and collaboration, she made the changes she saw necessary if APM Hexseal was to continue to be a successful player in the sealing industry. Instead of trying to do everything at once, she made small, incremental changes—one or two at a time—as her team began to see her vision and trust her leadership.
From the beginning, she focused on diversifying the company—a focus that goes back to her grandmother, Riva Morse, who co-founded the company with Susanna's grandfather, Milton, more than 70 years ago. Riva was the original leader of the sales department at APM Hexseal, a role that was not typically held by a woman in this industry at that time.
That spirit of diversity and a willingness to do things differently were built into the company's foundation, and Morse is proudly continuing that tradition. In a traditionally male-dominated manufacturing industry, she has encouraged female employees to take on key responsibilities in the organization and, in fact, today, APM Hexseal has more women in management roles than it has men.
Susanna has also worked to update the company's technology and bring on younger employees as she fosters collaboration between generations and levels of management. She's carefully balancing the company's roots while challenging industry norms and staying competitive in today's ever-changing market, while pursuing APM Hexseals primary objective - Ever Better.
It's no simple task, but it's a recipe for success that APM Hexseal can rely on. Congratulations to Susanna on receiving this well-deserved recognition!
To learn more about sealing solutions, ask the experts at APM Hexseal for more information.
