Clarity drives performance
"By saying what I do and doing what I say — that’s how trust is built."
Monika Poussard
General Plant Director
Stellantis Slovakia
Menity Leaders Talk · November 2025
Leadership in manufacturing
Precision keeps direction clear
As General Plant Director at Stellantis Slovakia, Monika Poussard leads an automotive manufacturing operation where clear direction, consistent standards and people leadership shape daily performance.
Her leadership is built on precision, consistency and presence. Say what you mean. Do what you say. Keep the direction clear.
In this Leaders Talk, Monika shares how clarity builds trust, and how adaptability helps organizations move forward.
In this conversation
Six questions on clarity, trust and leading people in manufacturing
Trust through consistency
Clear direction keeps people moving together
In a large plant environment, direction has to be clear enough for people to trust it — and human enough for them to follow it.
How do you earn respect where performance matters more than titles?
01
By saying what I do and doing what I say. This is how you build trust, confidence, and respect. If on top you include heart — you must succeed.
What keeps your focus when 4,000+ people depend on your decisions?
02
A clear vision of where I want us to be. The path to get there might be bumpy, curvy, and foggy. So it takes flexibility and listening to others — to keep your compass tight.
Monika Poussard, General Plant Director at Stellantis Slovakia, discusses earning trust through consistent actions and keeping a clear direction while adapting the path — in conversation with Peter Nemčok, Menity Leaders Talk 2025.
Standards and self-belief
Experience shapes standards and confidence
Monika sees standards as accumulated experience and personal strength as the confidence to plan, use data and learn from mistakes.
How do you turn standards into pride, not pressure?
03
Standards should never feel like a burden. They are the materialisation of our growing experience — and something to be proud of. They must not be rigid; as our experience develops, so do our standards.
What did being the only woman at the top teach you about strength?
04
Being the only woman at the top taught me to trust my ability, always have a plan, and speak with data. Strength means keeping vision alive, learning from every mistake, and leading with passion. Success is not about proving others wrong — it’s about proving to yourself that you belong.
Monika Poussard reflects on standards as accumulated experience and on the confidence to plan, use data and learn from mistakes — in conversation with Peter Nemčok, Menity Leaders Talk 2025.
Ambition with care
High expectations need trust and care
Ambitious targets require demanding leadership, while learning and working across cultures help future plant leaders prepare for responsibility.
You’ve led across industries. What never changes in how people need to be led?
05
A leader must always be demanding to reach ambitious targets. The key is to always do it with trust, respect, and care.
06
What would you tell a young engineer who dreams of leading a plant one day?
Don’t be afraid of the unknown. Learn and practise as much as you can. Cooperate with various people and cultures. And as my motto says — Never give up.
In Menity’s CEO and board work across CEE, the same pattern appears: performance holds better when people trust the direction, understand the standard and see consistency from the leader.
About the guest
Monika Poussard
General Plant Director, Stellantis Slovakia
Monika Poussard is General Plant Director at Stellantis Slovakia. In this conversation, she reflects on earning trust through consistency, developing standards through experience and combining ambitious targets with respect and care.
About Leaders Talk
Leaders Talk is Menity’s editorial interview series featuring CEOs, board members and senior leaders across CEE. Each conversation examines the decisions, trade-offs and operating realities of senior leadership.
Guests are selected by Menity for the relevance of their experience. No fee is paid or received for participation. Answers are the guest’s own, edited only for length and language, and reviewed by the guest before publication.
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