PERSONNEL
Bridgestone Corporation has a new chief executive officer. On 11 January the company’s Board of Directors approved a number of senior personnel changes, including the appointment of Masaaki Tsuya to the role of CEO. Incumbent chairman of the Board, CEO and president Shoshi Arakawa will continue in the position of chairman of the Board, a role Bridgestone says has been “newly redefined”. The tyre maker has not named a successor to Arakawa as president.
One particular newcomer at last year’s Reifen China, was Anhui Daree Rubber Corporation Ltd. Eager to find out more about the largest of this year’s show debutants, Tyres & Accessories spoke to JoJo Zhao and Vicky Shaw of the company’s global trade department and Lydia Cheung from the Daree’s sales department.
Formed in June 2010, Daree Rubber is a subsidiary operation of the Daree petrochemical group Daree Enterprise Group owned by Bajie Hua and is located in SanShan District, Wuhu City, Anhui Province. Like many newcomers before it, the business has ambitious plans to produce millions of truck and bus radial tyres within two years of formation, followed by the addition of passenger car radials to the range later in 2012 – all under the snappy motto of “pursuit to be perfect.”
Tire Group International has appointed Enrique Goudie, a 20-year veteran of the tyre industry, as senior category manager in the company's international team; Sherko Hajrasouli has also joined the company as its territory manager for the Middle East.
Continental has named the new executive vice-president for its replacement passenger and light truck tyres Asia Pacific business unit. Antonio Lopes de Seabra, formerly in charge of Continental Mabor in Portugal, takes over from Andreas Esser in the role and reports directly to Nikolai Setzer. Esser has taken over responsibility for Conti’s commercial vehicle tyres business unit, effective 1 January.
Yokohama Rubber has announced four senior management changes. The first of these to take effect is Hirohisa Hazama’s relinquishing of his position as general manager of Yokohama’s Tire R&D department. This change took effect 1 January 2012. Hazama will continue in his existing roles as corporate officer and general manager of the Tire Global Technical division. Yokohama has not named a successor for the Tire R&D role.
Bosch has appointed Iain Procter to the position of product specialist for Around the Wheel equipment within its Automotive Aftermarket division. Proctor’s sphere of responsibility includes tyre service equipment, four wheel alignment, lifts and brake testers. His role encompasses marketing and product management, including both technical and sales support for the Bosch and Beissbarth product ranges.
As of 2 January, Olaf Sandeck has taken on the new role of sales manager, Agricultural products, at Starco’s German operation. Sandeck is based at the Starco GmbH regional headquarters in Germany – close to many of the major European agricultural businesses. His main priority will be to support and develop the sales of Starco agricultural. Sandeck will also participate in the introduction and development of the company’s new online catalogue and ordering system.
Henry Johnson has been appointed Goodyear Dunlop’s EMEA vice president, Emerging Markets, leading “the strategic growth and development of the company’s complete product range in South Africa, Turkey, Middle East, Russia and the Nordic countries.” Johnson was previously responsible for the Commercial Product business unit.
Goodyear Dunlop has announced its appointment of Michel Rzonzef as the new vice president of its EMEA Commercial Sales and Marketing Product business unit, responsible for “driving a single aligned strategy and operating plan for commercial vehicle tyres”, according to the company’s announcement.
Continental Tyre Group Ltd has named Phil Scanlan as its new passenger sales director. Scanlan takes over from Angus Smith who left the company after 10 years in the position to become commercial director with Micheldever Tyre Services at the end of 2011. Scanlan has been with Continental for over 25 years in varied positions such as regional sales manager, national accounts sales manager, car fleet sales manager, and European key account manager. Based at the German tyre manufacturer's UK head office in West Drayton, he will have overall responsibility for profitable sales and account management of independent, regional, national and wholesale accounts in the UK and ROI.
David Stinissen has been appointed to the role of marketing manager at Toyo Tire Europe, effective 1 January 2012. Stinissen has taken charge of the Japanese tyre maker’s European marketing department and will carry out this new role in addition to continuing in his existing position as marketing manager for Toyo in the Benelux countries. He will be based both at Toyo Tire Europe’s headquarters in Willich, Germany and at Toyo Tire Benelux in Roosendaal, the Netherlands.
Jim Parker retired on 18 November 2011 after 37 years in the tyre industry. Parker initially joined Kleber in 1974 as a tyre fitter for its competition department. During his time at Kleber, he took on various job roles including being in charge of the day to day running of the competition department and attending most major rally and race meetings, assisting the tyre manufacturer to six consecutive years of winning the production saloon car and production sports car championships. According to the company, Jim Parker was instrumental in the development of the radial race tyre, which was used intensively on tarmac rally events.
As of 1 January Marc Preedy will take over from Nigel Sowerby as Goodyear Dunlop’s Commercial business unit director for the UK and Ireland. In announcing the customer strategy manager’s promotion, Goodyear Dunlop states the appointment “recognises Marc’s major contribution to the business since his recruitment just two years ago.”
Pascal Couasnon is to take over as director of the Michelin Group’s Competitions Department upon Nick Shorrock’s retirement on 2 April, 2012, the tyre maker has announced. The 50-year old, who joined the Michelin Group in 1987, currently holds the position of director of technical and scientific communication in the company’s Communications and Brands Department, a role he commenced in 2010.
New blood has been injected into Goodyear’s North American leadership. John F. “Jack” Winterton has been appointed president of the company’s North American Tire consumer business unit and Phillip Kane has taken over as vice-president of the Goodyear’s North American Tire commercial tyre business. Both appointments, Goodyear comments, are effective immediately and intended to “continue the positive momentum in the company’s North American Tire business.”
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