Two New China Execs for Cooper Tire

Cooper Tire has named two new executives for its operations in China. Andrew Weiwen Chen has been appointed the new deputy general manager for Cooper Chengshan Tire Company, as well as director of finance for Cooper China. Mr. Chen’s primary association will be with Cooper Chengshan, although he will also have some financial responsibilities for Cooper’s China operations.

Reporting to Chuck Taylor, Cooper Chengshan’s general manager, and Jerry Long, chief financial officer for Cooper Asia, Mr. Chen will manage business planning and analysis, accounting and reporting, budget preparation, and treasury requirements.

A certified public accountant, Chen earned a bachelor’s degree from Xiamen University in China, and master’s degrees in business administration and accounting from the University of Alabama. He is the former Shanghai based chief financial officer for Yellow Roadway China International Transportation Operation; he also worked as controller and senior auditor for Honeywell Aerospace Engines China Operations in Suzhou and Nanjing, China; as an international financial analyst for Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia; and as senior auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in New York city and Atlanta.

In a related move, Wei-Ming Tao has been appointed as general manager of business planning and processes for Cooper Asia, which covers Cooper’s entire enterprise in Asia — Cooper Chengshan, Cooper Trading Company and Cooper Kenda. Tao will report to Ron Shield, vice president and general manager, Asian Operations, and work in Cooper’s Shanghai office. She will be responsible for strategic planning, human resource planning and business processes and systems.

Prior to her most recent positions as division controller and manufacturing controller at Eaton Corporation, Tao worked as a corporate controller and plant auditor. A former certified public accountant in Ohio, she is a member of the Detroit Chapter, Financial Executives Institute. Tao earned a bachelor’s degree in international trade from Tam-Kang University, Taiwan, and a master’s in business administration from Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.