Mazda CEO To Head Ford Europe
Lewis Booth, Chief Executive of Mazda for the past year, has been named as the new president of Ford of Europe, succeeding Martin Leach, who resigned recently. Booths place at Mazda, in which Ford owns a 33 per cent stake, will be taken by Hisakazu Imaki, who has been with the company for 38 years.
Continue ReadingAshley Croft Joins Micheldever
Ashley Croft, previously Managing Director of Stapletons Tyre Services until October of last year, has joined Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) as Director. His prime responsibilities at Micheldever will be the Wholesale and Logistics development of the business.
Continue ReadingGibara Bows Out As Keegan Takes Over
Goodyear has announced that Samir Gibara (64) will resign as chairman at the end of June. He will be succeeded by Robert Keegan (55), who is currently president and CEO and who will retain responsibility for these two roles. Gibara joined Goodyear in 1964 and has been chairman since July 1996. He paid tribute to the speed with which Keegan learned the industry and demonstrated his leadership abilities. For his part, Keegan said that Gibara had provided important and valued counsel since Keegan joined Goodyear in October 2000 as president and COO.
Continue ReadingGibara Misses Last Opportunity As CEO
Within less than a week our office has obtained eight links giving access to an electronic letter from Sam Gibara to all Goodyear associates. Gibara restated that as from the 1st January, Bob Keegan has taken over as CEO and that he remains as Chairman of the Group. Gibara looked back at the past year which he described as marked by wins throughout Goodyears world and he speaks of foundations established for future success and of opportunities seized, none of which would have been possible without the associates support. He adds, You are making a difference and our company will prevail because of you. With a degree of bitterness some of these associates said that Gibara had ultimately missed the opportunity to explain why the company is in such deep water. They point to the fact that Gibara has never shown any sign of admitting have made mistakes himself. Instead, it was always the economy, the environment, the exchange rate, the high costs of raw materials and so on. However, he has not convinced the associates, many of whom feel that it is a big mistake to play down big problems. The staff is willing to fight, but needs guidance. If indeed the company has the best brands, great distribution and the best people, why then is the company fighting with its back to the wall whilst its big competitors are making money?
Continue ReadingAnsell-Goodyear CEO Departs
The chief executive of Australian joint venture Ansell-Goodyear has departed suddenly, with no reason given. Rob McEniry is regarded as the main force behind the renaissance of South Pacific Tyres, in which Ansell-Goodyear has a 50 per cent stake, consolidating to two manufacturing sites and taking out A$85 million of annual costs. SPT is moving towards profitability and an Ansell spokesman was confident that McEnirys departure would not adversely affect the reconstruction programme.
Continue ReadingFiat: Fresco Remains Chairman, Barberis Is New CEO
At a Fiat board meeting last Friday it was decided that Paolo Fresco will remain as chairman of the company, while former general director A. Barberis will become the new CEO. This was despite the fact that the Agnelli family (which owns 34 per cent of the group) and Mediobanca, the investment bank, wanted to replace Mr. Fresco with a new chairman, Enrico Bondi. They were blocked by a combination of creditor banks and institutional shareholders.
Continue ReadingKeegan Becomes Goodyear CEO
Robert J. Keegan (55), Goodyears president and chief operating officer, has also been appointed chief executive officer of the company, effective from January 1st. He takes over from Sam Gibara (63), who will remain as chairman for an unspecified period - in this capacity, he will advise and assist Keegan and other senior managers as they assume responsibility for day-to-day management of the company. Keegan joined Goodyear from Eastman Kodak two years ago, during which time he has, says Gibara, gained an impressive understanding of the industry and is now fully prepared to take the company forward. Keegans contract included a clause whereby he would receive compensation of several million Dollars if he was not appointed to the position of CEO by October next year.
Continue ReadingNow It’s Official: Carlos Ghosn Is CEO Of Nissan
The former high-ranking Michelin manager Carlos Ghosn has been officially appointed CEO of Nissan. De facto Ghosn has already been playing this role for months. The move is seen as an attempt to bind Ghosn to Nissan.
Continue ReadingNew President And CEO Appointed By Hayes Lemmerz
Hayes Lemmerz Int. appointed Curtis J. Clawson as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. In connection with Clawsons appointment, Ranko Ron Cucuz, the Companys Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will remain as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Most recently, Clawson was President and Chief Operating Officer of American National Can Group, a $2.5 billion NYSE traded manufacturing company, which was acquired by Rexam PLC.
Continue ReadingIs It likely That The Ford-Family Will Fire CEO Nasser?
An article in a German daily newspaper (Ford, a terribly nice family) speculates that CEO Nasser might be fired in the near future. Under his guidance Ford has suffered several recalls of newly launched cars because of quality problems. Furthermore the Ford-family is not happy with the public dispute between Ford and Firestone, says the newspaper.
Continue ReadingStephan Kessel, Continental’s CEO: A Separation On Friendly Terms
Someone who acquires a seat at the top, and even reaches the CEO position at Continental, will neither be fired nor will he just quit. There is what is called a separation on friendly terms. The question whether Kessel and von Grünberg could ever have been friends is not even relevant. Whoever thinks that von Grünberg just shrugged and happily retired to some comptroller’s position will find out that he was wrong. Von Grünberg is the type of man who may occasionally loosen the handcuffs, writes a German daily newspaper, but he also tightens them again. His thumb pointed downwards, and that gesture determined Kessel’s future, and the whole board went along, including the banker Weiss.
Continue ReadingConti CEO Kessel Resigns
CEO of the Continental Board, Dr. Stephan Kessel (47), has resigned and left the company. The Supervisory Board announced his successor as Manfred Wennemer (53). Wennemer was formerly responsible for the ContiTech division.
Continue ReadingCEO for Covisint Announced
Covisint, the motor manufacturer led on-line marketplace, has announced the appointment of Kevin English as its first Chief Executive Officer. English comes from Credit Suisse First Boston, where he held the post of managing director and CEO of e-commerce. The appointment should give Covisint the impetus and direction to attain its potential as the leading on-line marketplace for the automotive trade, in particular for the supply of OE equipment and services.
Continue ReadingNew Chairman And CEO Of Bridgestone/Firestone Europe
Mr Shoshi Arakawa has been appointed chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Bridgestone/Firestone Europe (BFE). He succeeds Mr Takeshi Uchiyama, who retires and returns to Japan after leading BFE for the last three years.
Continue ReadingKim Gran New Nokian President And CEO
Kim Gran (45) has been elected President and CEO of Nokian tyres, effective 1st September 2000. Gran has been Vice President since 1994 and has been responsible for car and van tyres.
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