Chief Jeep Gladiator Engineer Smashes Through Glass Ceiling
Three decades of defying the odds culminates with Elizabeth Krear’s finest creation to date—the multi-functional Gladiator.
By now, we’re all intimately familiar with the Gladiator, Jeep’s long-awaited off-road pickup. But like most new vehicles, we don’t know much about the people who worked tirelessly to bring it to us. Thanks to this excellent write-up from ABC News, however, we were able to learn the inspirational story of the Gladiator’s chief engineer, Elizabeth Krear. The mechanical engineer has spent her entire 30-year career at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), overseeing the development of a host of important vehicles along the way.
Krear is an outlier in the automotive world, helping develop vehicles like the ’94 Ram and Ram 1500 in an industry dominated by men. But that certainly hasn’t stunted her star-studded career. In fact, Krear is just one of many women responsible for developing the Gladiator. She told ABC News that her team consisted of 30 to 40 percent females, many of them working in key roles. “We had a pretty strong representation of women,” Krear said. “The work dynamic is just amazing. You feel more like a family. You get to know each other. We make the best decisions for the product.”
Krear remains rather humble about her incredible accomplishments, of course. But the path to her current role certainly couldn’t have been easy to navigate. Karen Horting, executive director and CEO of the Society of Women Engineers, told ABC News that even today, just one-in-five domestic automotive engineers are female. And women represent just 27% of total industry workers, compared to 47% of the entire workforce.
Krear admits that it took many years of hard work and dedication to break through this glass ceiling. She’s also accumulated a pair of Master’s degrees along the way. Including an Executive MBA, quite the task while she was also raising two children. But her unique perspective, combined with her love of trucks, helped produce a product that has universal appeal.
“We also spent a lot of time tuning the ride so it rides like an SUV,” Krear said. “The back seat folds down and it’s all one-hand operation. You could be holding your baby, or a cup of coffee, or your puppy in your left hand and you can get to everything behind the rear seat.” A recent study from consulting firm Frost & Sullivan found that women influence 80% of car buying decisions, so this is obviously a huge sticking point in new vehicle development.
“We wanted the Gladiator to be best in our segment — an absolute reputable truck,” Krear said. “I love trucks and Jeeps. It’s about being able to go anywhere and do anything.” In the end, we’d say that Krear accomplished her goal with the Gladiator. Sales are strong, and it managed to retain Jeep’s legendary off-road toughness while also adding a solid dose of real-world practicality. But for someone who’s been defying the odds for three decades now, we wouldn’t expect anything less.
Photos: FCA
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