Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
In April of this year, after having served for four years as an elected village trustee, one of the brightest stars in our local political firmament, and a lady of our ethnicity, was elected by 64 percent of the vote as president of River Forest.
This month we highlight the political career of Catherine M. Adduci, a woman who quietly has made her mark both professionally and politically. Those of us who know this outstanding professional are aware of her history as an accomplished senior executive with 30 years of outstanding achievements with UNISYS Corp.
A Fortune 500 global information technology firm, UNISYS concentrates in information technology outsourcing, application modernization outsourcing, consulting, and system integration services to the public sector, health care, pharmaceutical, telecommunication, and manufacturing industries. Her recognized strengths include strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills, sales management, new business development, client relationships, contract negotiations, financial management, and sales and marketing strategy.
For well over two decades, Ms. Adduci served as vice president of sales, North America, at the company’s Chicago office. In that position, she managed a group of sales leaders supporting public sector and commercial accounts and new business, with an $800 million order and revenue target, leading the ITO, application, and data center outsourcing business to profitability and sustainable growth. No small accomplishments for a kid from Roseland.
She was instrumental in growing its North America pipeline of business opportunity to $1 billion; achieving 100 percent pipeline growth through target marketing and 50 percent increase in client satisfaction. She achieved 110 percent order and revenue targets by winning a new $100 million data center contract, a new $30 million application modernization contract, and a new $35 million ITO contract.
She also implemented sales process through quarterly business reviews, account planning, customer excellence programs, and detailed sales reporting that improved productivity by 50 percent. And she led matrix teams of sales and delivery resources that grew revenue by 20 percent in key accounts.
Ms. Adduci received her MBA in finance from Loyola University and her bachelor of science in marketing from Northern Illinois University and successfully completed international studies at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Very active in the community, she serves as a member of the board of trustees of the Belmont Bank and Trust, the Erikson Institute, the Civic Federation of Chicago. In addition to having served by appointment of the governor as a trustee of Northern Illinois University (2001-2004), she continues to serve on the advisory board of its College of Business.
A true ethnic from our community, we set out in her own words, her personal history, which gives a glimpse of this charismatic and highly accomplished political, business and community leader.
“I grew up on the south side of Chicago in a neighborhood called Roseland/West Pullman. I went to St. Anthony’s grammar school located on 111th and Prairie. I attended Elizabeth Seton High School, an all-girl catholic school located in South Holland, Illinois. My father is from Calabria. He immigrated when he was a small boy with his parents and they settled in the Roseland community. He is a Mt. Carmel grad as well as a World War II vet who was stationed in Italy. He went on the get his vocational training to become a barber, opening up a small shop in the Roseland Plaza on Michigan Avenue. He married my mother, Jackie Parrish, an Irish woman from the South Side, and they had five children. I am one of five and the only girl!”
Another example of the best our community has to offer.
