Education
Advaithi graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from theCareer
Advaithi began her career as a shop floor supervisor at Eaton in Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined Honeywell in 2002, where she spent six years in functions spanning manufacturing and supply chain. In 2008, Advaithi returned to Eaton and helped run various groups within the electrical business unit for 10 years before becoming Eaton's COO. In February 2019, Advaithi joined Flex as CEO. She has said her focus is on driving the next era of technology, manufacturing and supply chain. Under Advaithi, Flex has shifted its focus to end-to-end customer value chain ownership, augmenting its core contract manufacturing business. She cites her leadership style as “being empathetic but making decisions quickly.” When tasked with making difficult choices, she said she always starts with what is best for her colleagues. Advaithi’s business philosophy also heavily focuses on sustainability, culture, diversity and inclusion, and doing the right thing. She frequently provides industry guidance for the manufacturing and supply chain sectors. Advaithi has said the pandemic is “probably the most difficult time” she has faced in her career. Under her direction, Flex prepared its 50,000 Chinese workers to safely return to work in early February, and by early May, Flex had returned hundreds of remote workers to work and accelerated medical gear production to fight the pandemic. Supply chain, operations and government professionals have recognized Flex for its ability to “secure PPE for itself and also ensure that its suppliers across the value chain were well stocked.” Advaithi stated the disruption caused by the pandemic is prompting global businesses “to take a far more serious look at restructuring their supply chains.” Advaithi is also heavily focused on driving sustainable manufacturing practices at Flex. During her tenure, Flex made CDPs 'A list' for tacklingMedia and speaking
In 2019, 2020 and 2021, Advaithi was named to Fortune's Most Powerful Women list, one of the few Indian-born CEOs recognized. Business Today also recognized Advaithi as one of Most Powerful Women in India in 2020. In 2021, Gadgets Now listed Advaithi as one of the most important Indian-born tech executives in the world. Advaithi believes India offers “manufacturing capability for domestic consumption” and that “being able to manufacture for India in India is of huge importance to lexcustomers.” In 2021, Advaithi became a member of World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, a coalition of business leaders across key sectors committed to driving positive climate action and sustainable economic growth. 3BL also recognized her as a 2021 Responsible CEO of the Year for Worldwide Impact for her proven leadership on environmental, social and governance commitments. The National Safety Council (NSC) also named her as a “CEO Who Gets It” (2022) for fostering a culture where safety is a top priority. Advaithi is also a frequent public speaker. She has spoken at the Fortune’s Global Forum and Most Powerful Women conferences, the Collision Conference, Ethisphere’s Global Ethics Summit, Silicon Valley Leadership Group Annual Forum, WEF's Advanced Manufacturing Working Group, Harvard Business School panels, Women Executive 50 Summit and Catalyst conferences. Under Advaithi, Flex was named one of the World's Most Admired Companies and recognized on the Global 500 by Fortune.Personal life
Advaithi was born in India in 1967 to A.N.N Swamy, a chemical engineer and Visalam Swamy, a homemaker. Advaithi has four sisters. Her family lived in Bihar, Gujarat, Assam before finally settling in Chennai, India. Advaithi met her husband Jeevan Mulgund in Hutchinson, KS and they married in 1998. Mulgund and Advaithi have since lived in England, Shanghai, Phoenix, AZ, Pittsburgh, PA, and they are currently residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have two children. Advaithi is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workforce, as well as STEM education for girls.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Advaithi, Revathi Living people American people of Indian descent Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani alumni Thunderbird School of Global Management alumni American women chief executives 1967 births 21st-century American women Indian emigrants to the United States Directors of Uber