Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | February 7, 2022 | wbjournal.com e nuances of leadership Aimee Peacock has risen to become FLEXcon's first female president S tarting her career in the world of financial services, Aimee Peacock always knew she wanted to lead people but was not sure when that opportunity would present itself. As a college student, Peacock enjoyed the definitive nature of accounting and the gratification of answers always being black and white and numerically-based. However, as she moved forward in her career, Peacock quickly realized lead- ership is anything but black and white, and management is all about under- standing life's nuances and gray areas. In 2018, Peacock joined Spencer lam- inated film manufacturer FLEXcon as its CFO. Aer Lavon Winkler announced he was retiring as the company's pres- ident and CEO, Peacock said she was surprised to learn that she was being considered for a top leadership role. On Dec. 15, FLEXcon announced Peacock would take over as president, effective Jan. 30, becoming the first woman to hold that position at FLEX- con since its founding in 1956. "I am very fortunate that the Mc- Donough family has the faith and trust in me to lead FLEXcon into the future," she said. The constant pursuit of growth If one theme defines Peacock's career journey, it is the fearless pursuit of chal- lenges and new skills. Aer starting in accounting, Peacock ended up in the manufacturing industry where she worked in different sectors such as heavy industrial, semiconductor, and print manufacturing. She became well versed in cost accounting and con- trollership accounting. Peacock received her first taste of a leadership position during her time at Rogers Corp. in Arizona as its con- troller, and she gained international experience. While working as the CFO for Brooks Life Sciences Division at Brooks Automation, a semiconductor manufacturer in Chelmsford, Peacock helped grow the firm's revenue from $148 million in 2017 to $196 million in 2018. During this time, a job opening for FLEXcon crossed her desk e move to FLEXcon was a ma- jor transition for Peacock, who had exclusively worked in publicly traded companies focused on profit. She was now going to a private, family-owned company with its own set of priorities. "I am not going to lie, coming in as a CFO had its challenges because I was always focused on growth and profit- ability, and I had to shi my thinking and approach to align with these family values of people first," she said. e employee-first mentality reflected during her time as FLEXcon's CFO, where she saved the company more than $20 million without executing layoffs, all while navigating the financial toll of the coronavirus pandemic. A female leader in a male-dominated field While women make up about 47% of the total U.S. workforce, they only make up about 30% of the 15.8 million people employed in manufacturing, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Additionally, only 1 in 4 manufacturing leaders are women. e numbers are far lower in Central Massachusetts, at least in terms of business leadership. Of the 313 most high-profile manufacturers studied by Worcester Business Journal's Research Department, 10 have women in the position of either CEO, president, or principal. Peacock said she was fortunate to have mentors throughout her career journey who helped her reach her full PHOTOS | EDD COTE Aimee Peacock, president of FLEXcon, has embraced the company's servant leadership model. BY SLOANE M. PERRON WBJ Staff Writer W O M E N I N L E A D E R S H I P FOCUS Lavon Winkler, former FLEXcon CEO & president

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