Executive Vice President & President of Vocational Segment, Oshkosh
Search every verified Michael Pack interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Michael Pack, Executive Vice President and President of the Vocational Segment at Oshkosh Corporation, spoke at a May 2022 FEI Chapter Meeting alongside Tina Seashore. During the presentation, Pack described Oshkosh as being "back in growth mode" with "tremendous demand" in its businesses, noting the company had roughly $7.7 billion in revenue the prior year and guidance in the "low 8 billion range." He stated that the company had nearly 15,000 team members across 24 countries and 130 locations. Pack highlighted Oshkosh's recognition as a seven-time World's Most Ethical Company and its inclusion on Fortune's Most Admired Companies list and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Pack discussed the partnership between finance and HR, saying that if the company cannot "attract and retain the right level of talent," it cannot accomplish its mission. He described initiatives such as financial acumen training that began with HR and later broadened to other areas, stating that sharing financial information beyond finance is "critical for the success of the organization." Pack also noted that Oshkosh added diversity goals with "meaningful metrics" tied to incentive compensation for leaders. He said that during the pandemic, the company implemented pay reductions and furloughs but did not cut benefits or stop the 401k match, and that the board approved an incentive compensation payout below threshold after management presented a "compelling story" of its actions.
“We were about 7.7 billion revenue last year; this year our guidance calls were somewhere in the low 8 billion range, so we are sort of back in growth mode, seeing tremendous demand in our businesses right now.”
“If we can't attract and retain the right level of talent, it's not possible for us to really accomplish our mission. So a strong theme on that is an example of why the partnership between finance and HR is so important.”
“We have nearly 15,000 team members worldwide spread across 24 countries and 130 locations, with a lot of manufacturing and sales and service organizations as well.”
“We have been a seven-time World's Most Ethical Company and are on Fortune's Most Admired Companies list, as well as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Being a good corporate citizen is good for our people, shareholders, and the communities we operate in.”
“We are putting our money where our mouth is by driving incentive compensation for our leaders to make a difference in our communities, increasing diversity and so on.”
“Sharing financial information beyond finance is critical for the success of the organization. Early on, sales folks were selling products that were the exact opposite of what we should be selling, so education and information sharing is key.”
“We started financial acumen training with HR as the pilot group, and now it has broadened to other areas. This training helps people ask smarter questions and be smarter business people, changing the conversation in the company.”
“We added diversity goals to our organization and put meaningful metrics in place that incentivize people to do the right thing. This is an emerging concept, and we believe other public and private companies will follow over time.”
“During the pandemic, we implemented pay reductions and furloughs but did not cut benefits or stop our 401k match. We prioritized keeping our team members safe and maintaining their financial well-being.”
“Our board approved an incentive compensation payout during the pandemic even though we were below threshold, because we told a compelling story of what management did to keep the organization in good shape. Transparency and collaboration between HR and finance were key.”
Following is the keynote video from our FEI May Chapter Meeting featuring Mike Pack and Tina Seashore from Oshkosh ...
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