Goodyear South Africa MD Announces Retirement

After more than three decades in the industry the managing director of Goodyear South Africa is to retire. Derek de Villiers, 61, will be replaced in April by current Dunlop Germany managing director Jean-Jacques Wiroth.

The appointment was announced by Goodyear’s Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region president Michel Rzonzef. “Derek has been a strong leader for many years, both in South Africa and the Middle East. He is highly regarded by his peers both inside and outside the company. We thank him for his very considerable contributions,” said Rzonzef, paying tribute to de Villers’ 34 years with the company.

De Villiers became managing director of Goodyear South Africa in 2006, having previously served as managing director of Goodyear‘s Middle East region since 2001. Prior to that, he held the position of managing director of Tredcor, the holding company for the companies Mastertreads and Trentyre, in Cape Town. The company later became consolidated as Trentyre, owned by Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Holdings.

Regarding Wiroth‘s appointment, Rzonzef said “Jean-Jacques is a very experienced professional, having held senior appointments in both regional and country positions. I am very pleased that he will be leading our South African operation, which has made a great deal of progress under Derek‘s leadership. In Germany Jean- Jacques has done an excellent job, developing the Dunlop brand to the point that it is now the leading brand in the marketplace.”

Wiroth joined Goodyear in Luxembourg in 1982 as a chemical engineer in the company’s compounding section. In 1994 he was appointed product manager of consumer tyres in Europe, and three years later moved to the US as marketing director for North American consumer tyres. In 2001 he took up a post in Belgium as original equipment sales and marketing director, and in 2005 transferred to Germany as managing director for the Dunlop brand.