Cooper Names New CEO

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. have announced their appointment of Roy V. Armes as company president, chief executive and a member of Cooper’s board of directors. Armes, 54, steps into his new role on January 1, replacing Byron O. Pond, who has served as Cooper’s interim CEO since August.

Pond has voiced his support for Armes, saying “We are extremely pleased to have Roy taking the lead at Cooper at this critical time, He has all the qualities we were searching for and the leadership capabilities to continue and successfully execute the company’s plans for profitability. He has the complete confidence of the board and will fit in well with our management team.”

Prior to joining Cooper Armes spent 31 years at Whirlpool Corporation, where he served in a number of senior roles including Senior Vice President. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo, and is married with two sons.
Commenting on his appointment, Armes said “I am thrilled to be joining Cooper at a very exciting and challenging time of opportunity in North America and growth internationally. I look forward to working closely with our management team and our global partners to continue Cooper’s tradition of serving our customers and to improve the overall results and returns for our shareholders.”

A Cooper Tire spokesperson has stated that its “office of the chairman,” a role currently undertaken by directors Byron Pond, John Shuey and Art Aronson, will remain unchanged for the time being. No details were given on when this position may also change hands.