Career Tracks
Tom Lovesy appointed general manager at Supertracker
Supertracker has appointed Tom Lovesy as its general manager. The son of managing director, Trevor Lovesy, and grandson of original founder Keith Lovesy, Tom’s appointment shows the continuity of the wheel alignment specialist’s ownership. The company is preparing to enter its third generation of family management as one of the leading wheel alignment specialists in the UK market.
Gert Meylemans becomes Eurobat communications manager
Gert Meylemans, the former head of PR and corporate communications at Bridgestone Europe, has become senior manager communications at Eurobat, the Association of European Automotive and Industrial Battery Manufacturers.
Is ATS Euromaster’s Dave Mellett Britain’s longest-serving tyre fitter?
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, The Beatles performed for the last time and the Boeing 747 jumbo jet took off for its maiden flight. But for tyre fitter Dave Mellett, the year 1969 marked the beginning of his career as a tyre fitter at ATS Euromaster in Newbury – a job he’s still doing at the same centre almost 50 years later.
John Thomas joins Duraturn USA
In the USA, industry veteran John Thomas has joined Yangchang Rubber/Duraturn as its local sales director. He previously served as director of sales West Canada for Sentury Tire North America and has more than 30 years of tyre industry sales experience.
Philip White Tyres appoints Marcus White as UK & EU sales manager
Marcus White has joined the Philip White Tyres Group (PWT) in the role of UK & EU sales manager. White is tasked with developing awareness and interest in Sunwide, a PWT-exclusive “value” brand of car, van, and SUV tyres, as well as a network of significant tyre dealers and regional wholesalers who can take Sunwide tyres direct by the container, the company states.
Sean Moore joins USTMA in government affairs role
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) has announced the appointment of Sean Moore as Director of Government Affairs. In this role, Moore will guide strategy for USTMA’s federal government affairs programme and lead the association’s state advocacy efforts working with member companies and allied organisations.
MWheels appoints European office coordinator
Earlier this year, MWheels established an operation in Germany to spearhead the company’s push into mainland Europe. MWheels GmbH opened for business on 1 February, with the plan being to build up a team over the following 12 to 18 months. This team has now been strengthened with the appointment of Stefan Kantz as European office coordinator.
Saoud to head Bridgestone’s Latin America business
A new role for Joseph Saoud at Bridgestone Americas. The former president, truck bus radial and retread tyres, US and Canada, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, has been named president, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Latin America. In this role, Saoud will oversee the Bridgestone tyre business in Latin America, which includes subsidiaries in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. He will report directly to Gordon Knapp, president and chief executive officer of Bridgestone Americas.
Ning confirmed as Pirelli chairman
As expected, Ning Gaoning has been co-opted to the Board of Directors at Pirelli & C. S.p.A. and appointed chairman. Ning, who is also chairman of Chinese state-owned petrochemical and fertiliser company Sinochem as well as chairman of Pirelli parent company ChemChina, succeeds Ren Jianxin. Ren relinquished all roles he held on the Board of Directors at Pirelli & C. S.p.A. on 30 July.
FER appoints new operations manager
The Federation of Engine Re-manufacturers (FER) has appointed Owen Laurenson as operations manager. Reporting to the FER’s board of directors, Laurenson will be responsible for proactively managing the day-to-day running of the FER and developing a strategy to further enhance the FER’s reputation and positioning within the automotive industry. Laurenson will also be responsible for introducing value added initiatives to the benefit of existing and future FER members and customers.
Rockendorf leaves Kumho, returns to Continental
Dirk Rockendorf is once again wearing Continental colours after serving as Kumho Tire’s marketing director for Europe for almost three years. As our German-language sister publication Neue Reifenzeitung reports, Rockendorf confirms that he’s held the position of head of marketing communications at Continental Aftermarket GmbH, a company within Continental’s Interior division, since 1 August 2018. In this role, he is responsible B2B and B2C communications for the aftermarket parts business.
Maggioni leaves Marangoni following strategic review
After less than two years in the job, Dino Maggioni has chosen to step down as chief executive officer of Marangoni S.p.A. and also leave all other positions he held within the group. According to a statement issued by the company, Maggioni’s departure follows a review of the “strategical directions that were assigned to Mr Dino Maggioni in the autumn of 2016.”
Schaeffler confirms ‘The Garage Inspector’ as first UK brand ambassador
Andy Savva – ‘The Garage Inspector’ – has become Schaeffler’s first UK brand ambassador. Savva has been supporting Schaeffler’s Repxpert team by presenting at various trade fairs and training events over recent months, sharing his expertise on building up a workshop brand and profile, while also offering tips and best practice techniques on how to make a business profitable.
Progress Recruitment to roll out new MOT Tester Training more widely through IGA
Progress Recruitment Solutions (UK) Ltd, the Norwich-based automotive recruitment specialist, has announced they will be working with the Independent Garage Association (IGA) to make their MOT Tester training courses more accessible to automotive technicians throughout England and Wales.
Why tyre shops don’t have to revolve around men
In March Quantcast published data suggesting the automotive sector is missing the mark when it comes to communicating with motorists. You might think advertising campaigns focussed on themes such as “road”, “speed” and “fast” come with the territory, but the survey revealed that such clichés are actually shutting out up to half of potential customers. Why? Because such concepts are generally designed to appeal to men, despite growing purchasing power among women. Indeed, UK government data shows that car ownership among women increased 75 per cent in the 20 years up to 2014.