New truck and bus marketing head at Michelin

Michelin Tyre PLC has announced a successor to Martin Covington, who retired as head of Truck and Bus Marketing after a 37-year career at Michelin. Tyre industry newcomer Sharn Samra has been appointed to the role, with responsibility for the UK and Ireland. She joins Michelin from Wolverhampton-based lock and home security firm Yale, where she had worked since 2004, initially as the company’s head of Product Management and Marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa before taking over as head of Business Development in 2009. Prior to working at Yale, Samra spent three years as a product manager at Staffordshire-based Newell Rubbermaid.

Samra says one of her main tasks as head of Business Development at Yale was to strengthen bonds between the company and small and medium-size locksmiths, experience she believes will serve her well in her new role. “I’m delighted to join the team and am looking forward to immersing myself in the tyre industry.

“A key aim for me over the coming months is to focus on our relationship with small and medium-size fleets, building closer ties and strengthening bonds while continuing the fantastic work already done on our larger fleets, she added. “In addition, 2012 is sure to be a busy and exciting year for us from a marketing point of view, particularly as tyre labelling will launch in November, bringing with it a fresh set of challenges.”

In her new role, Samra will be responsible for a field-based technical team with specialists covering operational marketing as well as marketing intelligence and marketing support. Samra completed a BA in Retail Marketing from the Manchester Metropolitan University in 1999 and also has an MA in Marketing and an MBA in Finance from Aston University. She will be based at Michelin’s UK head office in Campbell Road, Stoke-on-Trent.