TGI appoints African development manager, new strategic accounts VP
Tire Group International has added Kevin O’Brien and Rishi Raj Bhatnagar to its team. They take up the roles respectively of vice president of strategic accounts for its domestic division and territory manager for the African market. Both have more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
New communication VP for Goodyear’s North American business
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Kristina Schnepf vice-president of communication for its North America business unit. Schnepf, 45, joins Goodyear from The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan where she spent 22 years in positions of increasing responsibility in branding, marketing communications, media relations, internal communications, crisis management and community relations.
Halfords Autocentres has hired Satnam Singh to head-up its technical training team, a new role that it says “reflects the increasing focus that Halfords Autocentres is placing on training” and on investing to give its technicians “the expertise necessary to be able to service any make or model of car.”
Bridgestone Americas reports that Kenneth Allen, president of Bridgestone Agricultural Tire, U.S. & Canada Commercial Tire Sales, retired on 30 June after leading the division for more than six years. Kurt Danielson, President, U.S. & Canada Commercial Tire Sales, is leading the division until a successor is named.
Former Michelin man Phil Robbins has been appointed sales support engineer within Starco’s UK-based technical team. In his new role, Robbins will provide technical sales support to the company’s global entities and will collaborate with Starco’s sales team on specific customer projects. He will also work on honing internal processes in order to improve technical customer support.
New chairman for Continental’s German work council
When employees in Continental’s home country have work-related issues, they can go to Hell. They’ll be pleased to do so, as members of the Continental Corporation Works Council have elected Frank Michael Hell the council’s new chair, effective immediately. Council vice-chair is Hans Fischl, who previously held the position of chair on the works council. The corporations works council currently consists of 44 members and represents the interests of the approximately 50,000 Continental employees in Germany.
KRT Group appoints Tim Bader as operations manager
The Kings Road Tyres Group has appointed Tim Bader to the new senior role of operations manager. Bader was previously KRT’s purchasing and marketing manager, and the promotion brings with it the added responsibility for a wide portfolio of Group roles, including IT and communications, stock control, transport and health & safety.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company chairman, chief executive officer and president Roy Armes has announced details of a reorganisation of the company’s executive leadership centring on the appointment of a new president – International Operations. The changes take effect immediately.
Richard Burnett new Road Haulage Association chief exec
The Road Haulage Association has named Richard Burnett as its new chief executive. A logistics and supply chain expert, Richard joins the RHA from Samworth Brothers where he was managing director of Samworth Brothers Distribution, servicing the needs of its 14 bakeries and a number of external customers.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has made the following changes in senior management responsibilities and the appointment of corporate officers, as decided at the 25 June 2014, meeting of the board of directors. The changes will be effective as of 1 July 2014. Yasushi Kikuchi becomes managing corporate officer, Head of Tire Materials Development Div., Head of R&D Center having previously been managing corporate officer, Head of Tire Technical Development Div., Head of R&D Center.
The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) has announced that Paul Williams is retiring from his position as chairman of Remit (Retail Motor Industry Training) on 30 June 2014 after six years of service.
As of 1 July, former Bridgestone UK consumer sales director Brett Emerson will join Hankook Tyre UK as sales director. In his new role, Emerson will oversee all business development for Hankook’s commercial and car tyre businesses within the UK.
After a sojourn in Europe lasting almost four years, on 1 July Mitsuhira Shimazaki will return to Japan and take over responsibility for Bridgestone’s International Tire Business Operations. His successor has yet to be named.
Automotive Apprenticeship starts in England have seen their first increase since the end of 2010. The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) found a 4.2 per cent increase, up to 10,940 starters, in 2012/13 in their yearly benchmarking report. Apprenticeship start figures have been falling since 2009/10 in the face of economic recession, with a 14.8 per cent decrease recorded in 2011/12 according to figures from the Skill Funding Agency.
Brian Spratt, the IAAF’s chief executive is finally retiring today (27 June) after 14 years in the post. In 1992 he joined the ADF, as it was known then, as Trade secretary and went on to become Chief Executive in 1999. Since then he has overseen a number of changes and developments within the automotive aftermarket and played an instrumental role in ensuring the trade association continues to focus on strengthening, securing and promoting the future of the independent aftermarket.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
