Richard Sands is Founder and CEO of True North Enterprises LLC, a senior advisory services firm based in Oakland Township, MI providing guidance to global Automotive OEM’s, Suppliers and Private Equity firms. Clients range from technology start-ups to Fortune 500 global organizations delivering products and solutions across the automotive spectrum specifically: manufacturing, sales & marketing, information technology, vehicle telematics, autonomous driving and expansion into emerging markets.
Prior to launching True North Enterprises, Mr. Sands worked at Microsoft, the world’s leading manufacturer of software for personal and business computing. In this role, Mr. Sands helped lead business development activities for Automotive customers operating in North America, China, and Europe with solutions centered on productivity, cloud services, and in-vehicle applications.
Past work experience includes J.D. Power and Associates, Ford Motor Company and Covisint where he led teams developing high-impact technology solutions and driving company-wide business development activities focused on Sales, Finance, Purchasing and M&A.
Mr. Sands earned a bachelor’s degree in Material Logistics Management from Central Michigan University and an MBA in International Finance from Florida Metropolitan University graduating Summa Cum Laude. In his free time, Mr. Sands enjoys spending quality time with his family, coaching youth football, boating, snow skiing and running.