As of 1 January 2021, Bridgestone Corporation will retire its current five-layer executive operation structure and adopt a three-layer structure in its place. The company states that it is adopting this new executive structure to “accelerate decision-making and transform into a leaner organisation.”
Hankook Tyre UK has appointed Paul Emery as sales director effective 1 February 2020. He joined the company as UK sales manager of the truck and bus tyre segment. Emery brings over 30 years in the tyre industry in various managerial roles to the position.
Elio Bartoli, EMEA president & global OEM at Trelleborg Wheel Systems (TWS) has announced several management changes to the Europe, Middle East and Africa regional organisation, all of which came into effect on 1 January, 2020. The announcement follows the news of Richard Lyons’s appointment as its new UK managing director.
The Hella GmbH & Co KGaA Shareholder Committee has made important personnel decisions at the company’s management board level. Bernard Schäferbarthold’s (48) management contract was extended by five years until 31 October 2024. He will continue as managing director for the corporate Finance, Controlling, and Information Technology divisions in the long term. On the other, Dr Frank Huber (38), the deputy managing director for the Lighting business division, will take over management of the division from CEO Dr Rolf Breidenbach (56) with effect from 1 June 2019.
ELTA Automotive Ltd has recruited three experienced aftermarket executives for its senior sales and commercial roles in a bid to further strengthen the team.
In the space of a month, the company has reappointed Stuart Poole as commercial manager (from ATS Euromaster) and Mike Ballinger as its director of sales for Europe, as well as recruiting Craig O’Neil as the director of sales in the UK and Ireland.
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.
GRI Tires has announced the appointment of a new chairman and a new CEO.
Harris Premaratne was appointed as GRI’s chairman with effect from the 29 March 2018. A veteran banker, Premaratne’s appointment is intended to help take GRI to a “leading position amongst global specialty tyre manufactures”.
On 1 January 2018, a new organisational structure will take effect at Nokian Tyres. While the company’s business unit structure – Passenger Car Tyres, Nokian Heavy Tyres and Vianor – will remain unchanged and its external reporting model will continue to include business units and geographical areas, from the start of next year the Passenger Car Tyres business unit will be divided into three new business areas. A new unit, named Products and Technologies, is also being established.
TechMan says new customer Jim Steel Garage has already realised big benefits after going live in August with the garage management system. Led by Kevin Steel and his son Sam, the family run Beeston-based business offers MOTs, servicing and repairs for all makes of vehicle. Formerly a Unipart Car Centre, the business had been reviewing new management systems for several months until a visit from national sales manager Leo Freebairn led to them trying a demo site and opting to go with TechMan.
Dunlop Tyres has helped to design and deliver an in-depth training course in conjunction with National Tyres and Autocare Centres (NTA). Aimed at NTA’s assistant branch managers, the course is the first of its kind, focusing solely on developing assistant branch managers in NTA’s centres nationwide. There has not previously been a training course which offers such in-depth and wide-ranging training for the assistant branch managers.
Goodyear reports that Joe Zekoski has succeeded Gregory Smith as senior vice president of global operations effective 17 August 2016, according to a regulatory filing published by Goodyear.
Smith was hired by Goodyear in September 2011 for the global operations position and will leave the company on 15 December 2016.
BMW and Jaguar Land Rover have launched a new programmed which aims to drive up managerial skills in the UK’s automotive industry. The ProLead training programme combines existing qualifications and tailors them to provide automotive leaders with in depth management and technical knowledge. It has been developed using best practice from the worldwide operations of UK based car manufacturers.
Al Dobowi Group, which is well known for importing and exporting tyres around the world, has appointed Malcolm Wall Morris as group chief executive officer effective immediately. This is the first time Al Dobowi has appointed a group CEO in the company’s 40-year history. According to Al Dobowi representatives, the decision – taken in the firm’s 40th anniversary year – reflects the understanding that the family business “needs to develop and evolve to ensure that we are best positioned to continue growing for the next 40 years”.
