Petra Schroeder

Petra Schroeder began her career in 1969 as an apprentice with Herberts/Standox in Wuppertal, Germany, and in 1992 became the company’s first female senior employee. In 1995 she moved to the United States as director of technical services for Standox in the U.S. and Canada. She stayed with the business through DuPont’s 1999 acquisition and retired in 2016 from Axalta Coating Systems as an industry relations manager. She served as secretary of the Collision Industry Foundation and on the boards of the National Auto Body Council, the Collision Repair Education Foundation and SkillsUSA. A Women’s Industry Network member since its founding in 2006, she chaired its board from 2016 to 2018.