Title: Chief Growth Officer
Company: Tenneco Inc.
Location: Northville, Michigan, United States
Helen Xu, Chief Growth Officer at Tenneco Inc., has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Business Development and Optimization.
Ms. Xu has established herself as a leading expert in the transportation and automotive sectors, as well as industrial and consumer markets and products, through a distinguished career spanning over 25 years. In 2025, she assumed the role of chief growth officer at Tenneco Inc., a motor vehicle manufacturer and distributor, at the company’s headquarters in Northville, Michigan, where she is responsible for defining strategic focus areas for business growth. Her responsibilities also include assessing opportunities within existing customers, products and markets, identifying and evaluating white-space opportunities in new customers, markets or applications, and analyzing product fit, synergy and organizational capability for new developments. Ms. Xu also builds and presents business cases for leadership and board alignment, aligns strategy across executive leadership and business unit heads, translates approved strategies into actionable execution plans and oversees action plans to ensure delivery against performance goals.
Before joining Tenneco Inc., Ms. Xu served as the chief growth officer at U-Blox, a semiconductor manufacturer based in Switzerland, in 2025. In this capacity, she continued to demonstrate her expertise in driving organizational transformation and market expansion through strategic growth initiatives.
From 2019 to 2024, Ms. Xu held the position of senior vice president of global climate and comfort solutions and managing director for Asia at Gentherm. This Michigan-based company designs, develops and manufactures heating, cooling and ventilation devices. Previously, she served as the vice president and head of the Greater China regional center at Infineon Technologies between 2012 and 2019. From 2010 to 2012, Ms. Xu was the managing director for China at International Automotive Components, following her initial work in sales and marketing and as the company’s program management director, beginning in 2007.
Ms. Xu’s earlier experience included serving as a program manager and operations director at Lear Corporation from 2006 to 2007 after holding the position of product engineering and program management director for over five years. She began her professional journey as a special project engineer at Chrysler Jeep & Truck Engineering in 1998.
Ms. Xu’s academic background has been foundational to her success. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, completed in 1998. Subsequently, she received a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan, in 2001, followed by a Master of Business Administration from Walsh College in Troy, Michigan, in 2005. Additionally, Ms. Xu completed executive education at the graduate school of business at Stanford University in 2019, which enhanced her strategic leadership capabilities.
Ms. Xu’s commitment to industry advancement is further reflected in her involvement with professional organizations. She is an active member of EV100 and has served on Autolink’s board of directors since 2025. Ms. Xu’s contributions extend to philanthropy, having been a donor to The Boston Foundation since 2025.
Throughout her tenure in the field, Ms. Xu has led major transformations in strategy, capability and organizational design. She has been instrumental in reshaping underperforming business units, preparing organizations for private equity acquisitions, and expanding revenue from zero to large-scale operations. Today, Ms. Xu focuses on strengthening employees, company culture and cross-functional alignment to ensure long-term competitiveness, especially in mature or declining markets where growth requires diversification, operational excellence and the ability to adapt quickly.
Ms. Xu’s accomplishments have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including being named to Forbes’ Women in Tech Top 50 in 2019 and being named Executive of the Year at the Asia Pacific & Greater China Business Awards in 2024. She attributes her achievements first to the unwavering support of her husband and family, a foundation she considers essential to all she has accomplished. Ms. Xu also credits mentors who have shaped her professional development, along with her own dedication to hard work, continuous learning and resilience.
Born in Beijing, China, Ms. Xu immigrated to the U.S. in 1993 before returning to her home country in 2006. After marrying in 2010, she relocated again, settling in Michigan with her family in January 2025. Ms. Xu remains dedicated to contributing meaningfully to the transportation and automotive industry by supporting its ongoing evolution. Additionally, she plans to engage more deeply with community initiatives after settling into Northville, with aspirations to find meaningful volunteer opportunities and give back locally. Ms. Xu’s journey reflects a steadfast commitment to professional excellence balanced with deep personal values, qualities that continue to define her impact within both industry circles and the broader community.
For more information, please visit:
Contact Ms. Xu:
