Cooper Names New North America Tire President

As of January 17 a new president will be at the helm of Cooper Tire & Rubber’s North America Tire Operations. Responsibility for the US$2 million plus operation, which produces passenger car and light truck tyres, primarily for sale in the US replacement market, will be transferred from Cooper Tire & Rubber chairman, CEO and President Roy Armes to Christopher E. Ostrander. In addition to this new post, Ostrander will also serve on the company's Executive Committee and as an officer of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.

Ostrander joins Cooper from Eaton Corporation, where he was most recently vice president and general manager of the company’s Torque Control Products Division, a position he has held since 2008 and one which was expanded in 2009 to include global sales and marketing responsibility for Eaton Automotive’s Commercial Vehicle and Aftermarket Group. Ostrander joined Eaton Corporation in 2004 as director of Sales for the Automotive Group, moving to the Mirror Controls Division where he was business unit manager from 2005 to 2006. He expanded his responsibilities in successive moves to multi-business unit manager from 2006 to 2007 and general manager from 2007 to 2008 while running additional Eaton operations, including the Fuel Vapor Division and Performance Products Division.

Prior to joining Eaton, Ostrander held significant leadership roles with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the BOC Group PLC, a multinational manufacturer and distributor of industrial gases. Ostrander joined the Army Corps of Engineers upon his graduation from West Point in 1991 and was honourably discharged as a Captain in 1997. Joining the BOC Group in 1998, he advanced to vice president of Sales and Marketing for their distribution network.

In announcing Ostrander’s decision to join the Cooper team, Armes said, “I am pleased to announce Chris’ appointment to our executive team. His energy, talent and outstanding leadership experience will be invaluable in helping us achieve our growth initiatives and strategic objectives.”

In addition to a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Military Academy, Ostrander holds an M.S. degree in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri at Rolla, and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.