FCA US LLC has appointed Kristen Kreibich to fill its newly established position of safety advocate.
Kreibich, who brings more than 20 years of manufacturing, regulatory and safety experience to the job, is tasked with enriching the safety culture at FCA US.
“Everyone is a safety advocate at FCA US, because safety considerations are baked into every component of every product we make,” said Mike Dahl, head of vehicle safety and regulatory compliance (VSRC). “But Kristen’s appointment is the embodiment of this mindset. She is our new safety ambassador.”
The position of safety advocate is being added to VSRC, an organization that was restructured in 2014 to streamline critical decision-making. Dahl reports directly to the company’s CEO.
In just over one year, the number of vehicle-safety personnel in the organization has more than doubled, the company says.
Kreibich will be responsible for promoting greater awareness of vehicle and occupant safety – both internally with FCA US employees, and externally with regulators, industry observers and trade associations. In addition to highlighting the company’s safety engineering achievements, she will share her insights about proposed legislation and the evolution of the safety landscape.
“Because of my background, I am passionate about vehicle safety,” said Kreibich, who previously served FCA US as manager of vehicle safety planning. “It’s a topic of vital importance and my mission will be to ensure it remains top of mind, universally. Because we are all stakeholders – my colleagues here at FCA US, my regulatory counterparts, third-party ratings groups, dealers and especially our customers.”
In her previous position, Kreibich’s duties included working with organizations such as the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). Kreibich joined the company in 1995 as a production supervisor.
