ERJ Industry Appointments Tracker - March/April

Germany: HF Mixing and HF TireTech are now operating under the umbrella of the HF Group with one joint management team, the rubber & tire machinery major has announced. Previous co-CEOs of the two divisions Dr. Holger Rudzio, Zoran Uranjek, and Ian Wilson will form the joint management board in the future. “With this merger, HF will combine the strengths of both brands and the resources to improve global service for HF`s customers,” said a group statement.  Read more

Germany: The commercial managing director of Klöckner DESMA Elastomertechnik GmbH, Siegfried Köhler has “left the company at his own request” as of 15 April, DESMA has announced. Dr. Michael Zaun, managing director of DESMA since September 2022, is to take over Köhler's business responsibilities on an interim basis.  Read more

Germany: Wacker Group’s head of research Christoph Kowitz has been named to head Wacker Chemical Corp., the US subsidiary of the German chemicals supplier. Effective as of May, Kowitz will succeed David Wilhoit, who has been responsible for the group's North and Central America business since 2015 and is now retiring. Kowitz previously headed the group's central research and development for six years, and led Wacker's performance silicones unit within the silicones division prior to that.

US: Kraton Corp. has appointed Pedro Lopes as VP marketing and product management within its ‘polymers’ business. Lopes, according to the US supplier, brings “a wealth of strategic expertise and leadership to his new role.” The Texas-based materials supplier has also appointed Rogier Roelen to the position of chief sustainability officer (CSO) in addition to his existing role as VP, general counsel. 

Germany: German Rubber Society the DKG has named prof. Herbert Baaser as its managing director, starting 1 July. Baaser holds PhD from the University of Technology Darmstadt, and has worked as a senior engineer for material modelling and life cycle at Freudenberg. He has been a member of DKG for over 15 years and has actively participated in various committees.  Read more

Romania: Continental Tires has appointed Serban Nicolescu as the new general manager of its plant in Timisoara, effective 1 April. He succeeds Matthieu Turlure, who held the position for two years and is continuing his work elsewhere within the company, Continental announced 3 April. Nicolescu has been part of the Continental team since 2011. He previously held roles such as area manager at its tire factory in Sarreguemines, France; production manager Continental Tires Timisoara and head of focus factory user experience at the group's automotive components plant in Timișoara.   Read more

US: Dow has named Brendy Lange, VP Dow Industrial Solutions, as the new president of its Performance Materials & Coatings (PM&C) business unit. He succeeds Mauro Gregorio who will retire at the end of September with 40 years of service, said Dow 2 April. Lange has held several leadership and strategy-development positions at Dow. Most recently, he was responsible for Dow’s Industrial Solutions unit and the growth of its global asset footprint. His previous Dow roles include corporate development, electronic materials business in Tokyo, and had a role in the DowDuPont joint integration process.   Read more

Switzerland: Volker Cwielong has taken over as CEO of Datwyler Group, replacing Dirk Lambrecht stepped down from the position at the end of March. Cwielong has been a member of the management team of the German automotive supplier Eberspächer Group since 2017. As co-CEO of the exhaust and acoustics specialist Purem division, he was responsible for net sales of some €2 billion and for more than 7,000 employees at over 40 locations on three continents, said Datwyler 2 April. Cwielong, a mechanical engineer who holds an MBA, previously served in “various global management positions for international industrial groups and automotive suppliers,” Datwyler added.    Read more

Finland: Nokian Tyres plc’s president & CEO Jukka Moisio is set to retire from his position during 2024, the tire maker has announced. The company's board of directors has initiated the process of finding a successor for Moisio, the Finnish tire maker announced in a brief statement 27 March. Read more

Japan: Sumitomo Rubber has appointed Tomohiko Masuda as chairman of its China operations. Effective 1 Jan, Masuda succeeds Eiichi Masuda as chairman and general manager of Sumitomo Rubber (China), Sumitomo Rubber (Changshu); and Sumitomo Rubber (Hunan). The change of leadership, it said, was a “major strategic adjustment” for the company, which places high importance on the Chinese market. The new CEO previously served in product-development, marketing, business-planning and tire-sales roles. His overseas experience includes being stationed twice in Europe and gaining insights into the China's automotive industry and tire market.

Singapore: Giti Tire has appointed Dr Pang Chong Hau as chief sustainability officer. Pang has “extensive experience” in sustainability, having previously led the development of “a sustainable procurement framework” and initiated “significant green projects”. Under his leadership, Giti said it would accelerate the pace of sustainable development with a focus on “operational optimisation, technology application and nature-based solutions.”

US: Chemicals supplier Chemours Co. has appointed Denise Dignam, current interim chief executive officer, to the positions of president and CEO and a member of the board of directors, effective 22 March. Dignam joined Chemours in 2015 and was named interim CEO in February, amid investigations into the affairs of top Chemours executives (ERJ report). She has over 35 years of experience in the chemical industry, where she has held senior roles in business and operations, sales and marketing, commercialisation, and supply chain.

Sri Lanka: Tire maker GRI has appointed Thanuja Samaranayake as its new chief operating officer, effective 1 March. Samaranayake brings with him over 22 years of experience in global operational strategy and sustainability, said GRI in an announcement 7 March. He has previously worked with Ansell Health Care, Ansell Textiles Lanka, Fonterra Brands Lanka, and Singer PLC in Sri Lanka. Read more

Sri Lanka: Separately, GRI has announced former Continental sales veteran Barry Guilford as its ‘global commercial director’ as part of its efforts to bolster leadership team. Effective 1 March, Guildford will lead global sales and market organisation of GRI as GCD. Prior to joining GRI, Guildford served as head of region northeast Europe & head of sales ContiTrade at Continental, where he orchestrated the overhaul of automotive retail networks across multiple countries. Under Guildford's leadership, GRI aims to ‘capitalise on emerging opportunities and expand market presence’.

Japan: Yokohama Rubber Co. (YRC) has named Tadaharu Yamamoto as managing officer and president of Yokohama Asia Co., effective 28 March. Yamamoto was previously managing officer, assistant to president and head of tire logistics division. In his new role, he will also act as the chairman of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand), chairman of Yokohama Tire Sales (Thailand), chairman of Yokohama Tyre Sales Malaysia, chairman of Yokohama Tire Sales Philippines and chairman of Yokohama Tyre Sales Vietnam Co.

Luxembourg: Graphene nanotubes producer OCSiAl has appointed Peter Cuneo as chairman of its board of directors. Cuneo, it said, was previously president and CEO of ‘superhero franchise’ Marvel Entertainment, which he turned around from struggling entity to an entertainment industry powerhouse. His career also includes such roles as president and CEO of Remington Products, president of Black & Decker’s Security Hardware Group, and president of Bristol Myers Squibb pharmaceuticals group in Canada. Konstantin Notman, CEO of OCSiAl said Cuneo’s “experience and strategic leadership are exactly what OCSiAl needs as it looks forward to the next steps in its rise from a unicorn tech company to a global player.”

Switzerland: Datwyler Group has named Judith van Walsum as new CFO and head of the group function finance & shared services, effective June. She succeeds Walter Scherz, who has decided to pursue a new professional challenge outside Datwyler. Van Walsum has held various global management positions at Roche Group since 2004, most recently as CFO and head of IT at Roche Diabetes Care with revenues of more than CHF 1.4 billion (€1.47 billion). She has also been a member of the Datwyler board of directors since the 2022. As previously reported by ERJ, Volker Cwielong will take over as CEO of Datwyler on 1 April. (Read more)

Sweden: Trelleborg Group has named Juergen Bosch as the new business area president of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions (TSS) and member of group management effective from 1 April. Bosch is currently heading the global aerospace business as well as ‘industrial Europe’ within TSS. The group has also named Linda Muroski to lead the newly created Trelleborg Medical Solutions, to be based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Muroski is currently head of global healthcare & medical as well as ‘industrial Americas’ within TSS. (Read more)

Canada: Compounder AirBoss of America Corp. has appointed former Trelleborg executive and Hexpol AB president and CEO Mikael Fryklund to the role of executive vice president and chief strategy officer. (Read more)

US: Sealing solutions manufacturer Greene Tweed has appointed industry veteran Justine Franchina as chief operating officer (COO). With previous experience in Chem-Trend and DuPont, Franchina brings “a strategic perspective and over two decades of experience in driving operational excellence,” with her to the company. (Read more)

US: TPC Group has promoted plant manager of its Houston operations John Harvey to SVP operations for the group. The producer of butadiene, MTBE and polyisobutylene said Harvey joined the group in May 2021 and has since led significant improvements in the group’s performance in environmental, health, safety and security, plant reliability and production capacity.

Germany: Rubber equipment major Troester GmbH & Co. KG has announced the appointment of Thomas Holzer as chief executive officer, effective 1 Jan. Holzer has taken over the CEO role from Dr Peter Schmidt, managing partner at Troester, said a 30 Jan statement from the Hanover-based manufacturer.  The hand-over is part of a strategy “to maintain continuity in the management of the company and at the same time provide new stimulation for the future development of Troester.”  Read more

Japan: Yokohama Rubber Co. has announced a number of senior management changes to come into effect after its general shareholders’ meeting on 28 March. Under the changes, current president and chairman of the board Masataka Yamaishi will take over as chairman & CEO and chairman of the board. Chief technical and production officer, Shinji Seimiya will then become president & COO, covering engineering,  production, QA, IT as well as the regions of Japan, China, and Asia.  Read more

Spain: Michelin Espana Portugal SA has recently appointed Alexandre Hennion as its new commercial director. He replaces Antonio Crespo, who is retiring after four decades at the group, Michelin announced 9 Jan. Hennion has “extensive experience” in the tire sector and has held various positions at Michelin in Colombia, France, South Africa and Thailand between 1998 and 2018. He became B2B sales director of Euromaster in The Netherlands in 2018 and as of June 2019 was in charge of the commercial management of Euromaster France, before returning to Michelin.

Japan: Toyo Tire Corp. has announced a series of top management changes, effective 1 Jan, across its global operations including Europe and Americas. Kenta Kuribayashi will maintain his position as president of Toyo Tire Holdings of Europe GmbH but will no longer serve as president of Toyo Tire Deutschland. Meanwhile, Ralf Gutena, sales and marketing director of the European subsidiary, will take over the additional role of president of Toyo Tire Deutschland. In the Americas, Tomoshige Mizutani, will take over as a chairman & CEO of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. and division general manager, Americas business development and sales.   Read more

Germany: BASF SE has named Dr Markus Kamieth to take over as CEO and chairman of its executive board, effective at the end of the group's annual shareholders’ meeting scheduled for 25 April. Kamieth, who has been a BASF executive director since 2017, succeeds Dr Martin Brudermueller, who has led the group since 2018 and is moving to Mercedes-Benz as ‘non-executive’ chairman. Kamieth, said BASF, has a “highly competent and experienced successor”, who has achieved “excellent results” during his tenures in Germany, the US and Asia. “He combines strategic vision with strengths in operational implementation and will provide new impulses to the businesses and teams at BASF.”

Germany: Melanie Maas-Brunner, chief technology officer of BASF SE will not renew her current contract beyond 31 Jan, the group also announced. Dr Katja Scharpwinkel, currently president of BASF in EMEA, will succeed Maas-Brunner, as of 1 Feb. Furthermore, Anup Kothari, currently president of the nutrition & health division, has been appointed to the board of executive directors effective 1 March. Kothari began his career at BASF in North America and has held various positions in the US, Germany and China in different divisions.Scharpwinkel and Kothari bring “broad and relevant experience” to the board, said BASF.

Spain: Michelin Espana Portugal SA has appointed Alexandre Hennion as commercial director. He replaces Antonio Crespo, who is retiring after four decades at the group. Hennion, said Michelin, has “extensive experience” in the tire sector and has held various positions at Michelin Colombia, France, South Africa and Thailand between 1998 and 2018, He became B2B sales director of Euromaster in The Netherlands in December 2018 and as of June 2019, he was in charge of the commercial management of Euromaster France, before his return to Michelin.

Sweden: Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) has named Fredrik Emilson as its next chief executive officer, replacing Thomas Sorensson, who is moving to a role as senior advisor. Emilson joins the tire pyrolysis company from Swedish metal power manufacturer Hoganas AB, where he served as CEO from 2017, having previously led its European and Asian operations. He has also previously worked with Trelleborg Group and as a management consultant within E&Y, focusing on project management and business development.

US: Kraton Corp. has appointed Eun-Mi Kim as its new chief financial officer and member of the group’s executive team. Kim brings “an extensive portfolio of experience” from her tenure at DuPont, where she held a number of leadership roles in both finance and business operations, said Kraton. At DuPont, she held various corporate positions, including VP finance transformation and VP & CFO, transportation and industrial segment.

France: Hutchinson SA has appointed Nicolas Orance as senior executive vice-president of its aerospace, defence & industry operations. Orance joins the executive team at Hutchinson from French defence and military group Aresia, where he served as CEO since 2020. Prior to Aresia, he worked for 20 years with the French industrial conglomerate Daher Group, where he was in charge of developing its aerospace business.

Germany: Linglong Germany GmbH has appointed Jean Paul Spijker as director sales and marketing, speciality tires. Spijker is Linglong’s first expert hired for off-road, industrial, construction machinery and agricultural tires, said the company. He previously served as VP sales global OEM at Alliance Tire Europe BV and has also served as managing director at Czech tire maker Mitas. Most recently, Spijker served as country manager Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Benelux for Maxam Tires, part of Chinese tire major Sailun Group.

Germany: Zhongce Rubber Group (ZC Rubber) has appointed Marc Debusschere as off-road tires & track OEM sales director in Europe, effective 1 Jan. The new position is aligned with ZC Rubber’s “global expansion” of its OTR team, the company said 3 Jan. Debusschere, it added, brings “a wealth of experience” to the new role, having previously worked with OEM’s across EMEA and Asia-Pacific markets. Prior to joining ZC Rubber, he held “a similar senior role with another large tire manufacturer” leading the development of OEM sales of construction, material handling and agricultural tires.

US: Avient Corp. (formerly PolyOne) has appointed Dr Ashish Khandpur as president and chief executive officer. He takes over from Robert Patterson, who will retire at the end of May 2024, serving in an advisory role until then. With a doctorate degree in chemical engineering, Khandpur joins Avient after nearly three decades at 3M, where he held R&D and technology roles before becoming CTO. He has led several different units within 3M, most recently serving as group president of its transportation and electronics business.

US: Monolith has recently appointed Russell Webb as its chief operating officer to oversee the strategic expansion and scalability plans of the ‘green’ carbon black company. Webb has 35 years' experience in materials and manufacturing, with “proven success in leading carbon black and product adjacent operations.” Prior to joining Monolith, Webb was VP of operations at INEOS Styrolution, where he led manufacturing, engineering, and capital projects for four polymer plants. Webb also led manufacturing, engineering and capital projects for five Orion carbon black plants in North and South America.