Jeff Niew is President and CEO of Knowles, a MEMS microphone and audio technology company. He has held management positions at Knowles and Dover for more than 20 years and has accumulated extensive management experience and a deep understanding of consumer, medical, defense and industrial end markets.
It is reported that Jeff has held various management positions at Dover Corporation, Littelfuse and Hewlett-Packard.
Jeff holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also serves as chair of the University of Illinois College of Engineering Advisory Board.
CareerQA
Q: What was your first job in this industry?
Jeff Niew: A long time ago, I graduated from the University of Illinois with an engineering degree and worked in photonics at Hewlett-Packard in Silicon Valley. The group found a job.
My title is "Regional Sales Engineer" - it sounds glamorous, but it's not.
My job is to answer HP field sales team customer questions and handle their special requests, from pricing to custom LEDs, expedited shipping to quality issues and more. I had to find resources across HP to resolve the issue. When I arrive at the office in the morning, I often find my voicemail (yes, voicemail) filled with requests.
Also not as glamorous as it sounds, I've learned a lot about the industry as a whole over the years. But the role also had fairly limited decision-making authority, so I also learned the art of persuading people who didn't report to me to get things done, or to approve them. Overall, my first job at a great company couldn't have been better.
Q: What advice did you wish you had when you graduated?
Jeff Niew: Throughout your career, you will have to take uncomfortable risks to advance in your position.
After you have carefully weighed your options and discussed them with someone you trust, trust your instincts.
After about three years at Knowles, I was unhappy with both my position and the company's growth. I found another job and told Knowles' CEO that I was quitting. He asked me why, and I explained in detail my personal concerns (which had nothing to do with compensation) as well as issues that I believed had an important impact on the company's development.
He asked me not to say anything to anyone for three days and said he wanted to discuss it again. Out of courtesy, I complied.
When he came back to me, he said he was thinking about a lot of the same issues and had a plan for the company. He asked me to stay with him. After thinking about it all night, I decided to stay. Five years later, he retired and I became Knowles' CEO.
Q: Who are your mentors?
Jeff Niew: I have been lucky enough to have many mentors at different stages of my career. The first mentor I met after I left school - he was the general manager of the department where I worked at HP. He helped me think about my career and what I really wanted to do in the future. There is no doubt that mentors are important, and I have found that while a structured mentorship program can work, the best mentors are those developed out of a shared background or interest, with a two-way emotional investment in the relationship. This is more akin to friendship, with one party bringing more experience and wisdom to the other.
My advice is that no matter where you are in your career, develop professional relationships with people at multiple levels in your organization and find a mentor.
Editor: Elaine
