PERSONNEL
Mike Leedham has been appointed as the new off-the-road (OTR) Sales Manager for Continental Tyre Group. Leedham will be responsible for developing Continental’s OTR business in the UK and Ireland, as the company continues the development of its earthmover tyres, launched to the market in 2016.
Forbes and Statista have once again published their ranking of the world’s best employers. 160,000 employees of multinational or supra-regional companies from 58 countries were surveyed. The questions were about the extent to which respondents would be willing to recommend their employer and how satisfied they are with their employer in terms of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, image, economic relevance, development of talent and in relation to Equality and social responsibility.
Continental AG is aiming to be completely carbon-neutral by 2050. One of the earliest landmarks in the plans sees Continental move to being carbon-neutral in some areas within two years. Specifically, from 2022 Continental will make its global business for emission-free cars, buses, trains and other vehicles carbon-neutral. The programme covers the company’s production processes as well as their upstream stages and recycling at the end of use. In this way, the technology company is helping the industry make emission-free mobility completely carbon-neutral.
Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd (SRSA), manufacturer of the Dunlop, Sumitomo and Falken tyre brands for the African continent, has announced the appointment of Lubin Ozoux as its new CEO and Executive Director of SRSA effective 1 January 2021. Ozoux will take over the role from outgoing CEO, Riaz Haffejee who has led the company for the past eight years. Haffejee will remain with the company until the 31 January 2021 to “ensure a smooth transition”.
Maha Group managing director Dr Thomas Aubel has resigned at his own request effective 10 November 2020. As managing director, Aubel has been responsible for the company’s sales Germany, sales international and Maha Service Center since October 2018. He has been a member of Maha Maschinenbau Haldenwang’s advisory board since December 2017.
Continental AG has appointed Nikolai Setzer (49) as its new executive board chairman until March 2024, effective 1 December 2020. He succeeds Dr. Elmar Degenhart (61), who is stepping down for health reasons, effective 30 November 2020. Setzer is widely seen as a safe pair of hands for the company who has been prepared for the position for years.
PCL has welcomed a new Area Sales Manager for the South of England to its team. According to the inflation specialist manufacturer, Steve Nolan brings extensive experience within the motor industry to his new role, having worked on key automotive accounts dealing with distributors and end users, and covering national trade shows and conferences.
Apollo Tyres has appointed Hizmy Hassen to the newly-created position of Chief Digital Officer (CDO). Hassen will be based at the company’s London office, and will be responsible for leading the strategy and operations of Apollo Tyres’ digital journey, including responsibility for Information Technology. Hizmy Hassen will report to Neeraj Kanwar, vice chairman and MD, Apollo Tyres Ltd.
Effective immediately, Anna Hyvönen, SVP Nordics and Vianor and member of Nokian Tyres Management Team, has been appointed SVP North America, Nordics and Vianor. The shift was precipitated by the departure of Mark Earl, who had been Nokian Tyres SVP Americas, who has decided to leave the company to “pursue other career opportunities”. Tommi Heinonen, Head of Sales, North America, will start reporting to Anna Hyvönen.
After almost 20 years with Conica, the company’s operations director, John Bramwell, is retiring at the end of October. Commenting on his retirement, company representatives said Bramwell “has been a fundamental part of everything the company has achieved and will leave Conica with one of the best truck tyre recycling plants anywhere in the world.” In addition to his leadership role at Conica, Bramwell also represented the industry in a number of roles, including as a director of the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA).
Pirelli executive vice chairman and CEO, Marco Tronchetti Provera has proposed Angelos Papadimitriou for the new office of general manager co-CEO. Papadimitriou will report directly to Marco Tronchetti Provera. The appointment has been added to the agenda for the scheduled 23 July 2020 board of directors meeting. According to an official statement outlining the appointment, “the aim of the reorganization is to support the realization of the business model and broaden the management team in view of the succession path which will be completed in the first half of 2023”. In other words, Papadimitriou is being positioned as Tronchetti Provera’s successor.
Continental
Kumho
Forbes
Continental
Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Maha
Continental
Nokian Tyres
PCL
Nationwide Fleet Services 
Apollo Tyres
Nokian Tyres
Conica