Alcoa Appoints Kramer to New Growth Initiatives Position

Alcoa’s Wheel and Transportation Products business president Kevin B. Kramer has been appointed to a newly created position within the company. He will now serve as president, Growth Initiatives, and in this role is responsible for supporting Alcoa’s commercialisation strategies for organic growth, including the commercialisation of research and development initiatives and identifying and developing new applications that respond to market trends and customers’ needs. In addition, he will support the development and execution of global marketing programs for aluminium applications across existing and new market opportunities.

“Kevin is the ideal person to lead this growth initiative,” said Alcoa president and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld. “He has an outstanding track record of applying innovation to grow the transportation business and the initiative to create new market opportunities.”

Under Kramer’s leadership, Alcoa introduced its Dura-Bright wheels in North America and expanded the use of aluminium in buses in China through partnership with China’s Yuton Bus Company. The business and marketing graduate joined Alcoa in 2004 as president of Alcoa’s cast auto wheels business, following a 21-year career with Goodyear Tire & Rubber. Kramer held a series of progressively significant marketing and management assignments in Goodyear’s North American tyre business, and Conveyor Belt and Engineered Products Division, before being named vice president, Original Equipment Sales, North America. He also held international marketing and sales assignments in the Asia-Pacific region for the tyre major.