OPmobility, previously known as Plastic Omnium, announced significant changes to its senior leadership team (executive committee) on Jan. 16. Christian Kopp, who most recently served as senior executive vice president and president of the Exterior Business Group, will now head a new Business Group that merges OPmobility's Exterior and Lighting activities, effective Feb. 1. Kopp will oversee 59 plants and 26,000 employees across 18 countries to bolster the Lighting business and development of ...

Autoneum has appointed Denis Albert as the new head of Business Group North America and a member of the group executive board, effective Jan. 1, 2025, the company announced in a press release on Oct. 21. Albert, who possesses dual French-American citizenship, brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as a general manager within the international automotive supply industry in North America. His appointment marks the succession of Greg Sibley, who is set to retire at the end of January 2025...

In a press release dated Oct. 9, Lubrizol announced that Keith Corkwell, previously vice president of Additives Americas, has been elevated to the role of president, Lubrizol Additives. Corkwell, who has dedicated over 25 years to Lubrizol, brings a wealth of commercial and technical experience to his new role. His deep industry knowledge spans across a variety of markets and regions, particularly in fuel additives, heavy-duty engine oil, driveline and e-mobility, among others. Lubr...

Dana Inc., headquartered in Maumee, Ohio, announced the appointment of Seth Metzger as the new senior vice president and chief technology officer, effective Oct. 9. He succeeds Christophe Dominiak, who is retiring from the company. Metzger, who has been part of Dana for over two decades, brings a wealth of experience in engineering and technology development to his new role. Prior to this appointment, he significantly contributed to the company's advancements in electrification as the senior ...

Bekaert has announced a significant transition in its financial leadership with the upcoming departure of its current CFO Taoufiq Boussaid on Oct. 31. Succeeding Boussaid, Seppo Parvi has been appointed as the new CFO and a member of Bekaert's group executive committee, effective Nov. 1. Parvi brings a wealth of experience from a distinguished international career in financial and operational leadership. Since 2014, Parvi has served as CFO, deputy to the CEO and Finland country...

Linamar has reported an 11.6% year-over-year increase in sales to $2.85 billion in the second quarter ended June 30, 2024, the company said in a press release on Aug. 8. Higher sales helped the company record a 26.8% year-over-year increase in operating earnings to $271.5 million and a 29% year-over-year growth in net income to $174.1 million. In the first six months of 2024, Linamar reported a 15% year-over-year growth in sales to $5.6 billion. The company recorded operating earnings of $540...

Li-Cycle Holdings Corp., a prominent lithium-ion battery resource recovery company, has announced the appointment of Craig Cunningham as its CFO, effective July 20. Cunningham, who has been serving as the interim CFO since March, brings nearly two decades of experience in accounting, finance, operations and capital markets to the role, with a notable background in leading financial activities for publicly traded companies within the battery materials and mining sectors. His responsibilities...

Kongsberg Automotive (KA) has appointed Christian Johansson as their new CFO, effective June 3. Johansson will succeed Frank Heffter, who has chosen to leave the organization to pursue new opportunities. Johansson brings with him over 30 years of global industrial and automotive experience, including a senior leadership role as the CFO of Volvo Trucks. His current position is as the interim Group CFO of Colmec Group and he has previously served in the same role for Lantmännen, SKF Group and ...

Umicore appointed Bart Sap its chief executive officer, effective May 16. Sap will be taking over from Mathias Miedreich, who has mutually agreed with the supervisory board to step down. Miedreich will continue to offer advice to Umicore in the coming months. Sap, who joined Umicore in 2004, has been executive vice president, Catalysis since March 2021. Sap's priority will be to evaluate the development plans for the Umicore Battery Materials business, considering the slower demand growth for...

Amit Kalyani has been reappointed as the vice chairman and joint managing director of Bharat Forge, effective from May 11, 2024, to May 10, 2029. This decision was announced by the company's board of directors following recommendations from the nomination and remuneration committee and is contingent upon shareholders' approval. Kalyani's current tenure at the company will end May 10, 2024. Since joining Bharat Forge in 1999, Kalyani has held various important roles in operations and manu...

Plastic Omnium is undergoing a significant transformation of its portfolio to enhance its global leadership position, according to a press release dated March 12. In the past 18 months, the company has expanded its division count from three to five and established a new software development activity. With revenue now exceeding €10 billion, Plastic Omnium aims to accelerate and consolidate its position through an integrated offer of exterior body panels, lighting and modules. To achieve this...

L Ganesh, the chairman of Rane Group, has decided to retire from the operating entities of the group, effective March 31. He will serve as a non-executive director on these entities and continue as chairman and managing director of Rane Holdings. Ganesh has been the chairman of Rane Group for the past 18 years. He has also led the group to win the prestigious Deming Award for his contributions to the dissemination and promotion of Total Quality Management (TQM) in 2022. Harish Lakshman will t...

Thomas Gangl, the CEO of Borealis AG, has reached a mutual agreement with the supervisory board to terminate his mandate and employment contract effective June 30, a company press release on March 15 read. The supervisory board will announce Gangl's successor at a later stage. Under Gangl's leadership, key milestones were achieved, including the sale of Borealis' Nitrogen business, the acquisition of Rialti, a polypropylene (PP) compounder of recyclates in Italy, and the signing of ...

The Piston Group has promoted Bob Holloway, former president of Piston Automotive, to the position of COO for the Piston Group. In his new role, Holloway will oversee the operational aspects of the Piston Group's companies, including Piston Interiors, A. Lava & Son, Detroit Thermal Systems and Piston Automotive. Halloway will continue to report to Piston Group Founder, Chairman and CEO Vinnie Johnson, and will assume responsibility for the day-to-day and general management, control, super...

Antolin has announced the appointment of Emma Antolín Granet as its new Vice-Chair, effective January 1, 2024. According to a press release dated December 1, Emma will take over from María Helena Antolín Raybaud, who will continue to be associated with the company in various family decision-making bodies. Emma Antolín’s priorities as Vice-Chair will focus on supporting the company's strategic transformation, particularly in the areas of corporate governance and sustainability. She has b...

Adient has announced the appointment of current executive vice president and CFO, Jerome Dorlack, as the president and CEO of the company, in a press release dated Nov. 8. Dorlack will succeed Del Grosso as president and CEO as well as a member of Adient's board after Del Grosso announced his retirement effective Dec. 31, 2023. Mark Oswald, currently Adient's vice president treasurer of investor relations and corporate communications, will be appointed executive vice president and CFO, succee...

Antolin's board of directors has appointed Cristina Blanco Santo Tomas as the company's new CEO. Blanco will lead the company's transformation process to position it as a leading supplier of technological solutions for automobile interiors in the new electric mobility era, it said in a press release on October 11.  The new CEO brings extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the company, having spent over 22 years at Antolin. As CFO and a member of the executive committee, she playe...

Continental Engineering Services (CES), a subsidiary of Continental AG, has appointed Jean-Michel Verdier as its new managing director effective September 1. Verdier, a seasoned engineer with over two decades of experience in the automotive industry, succeeds Christoph Falk-Gierlinger, who is leaving the company after three years, a company press release said October 4. Verdier previously led the worldwide research and development (R&D) organization for the Wheel Brake Solutions segment a...

Inalfa Roof Systems Group, a global leader in the automotive industry based in the Netherlands, has appointed Georges Andary as its new president and CEO, effective October 1, a PR Newswire press release dated October 2 said. Andary brings over 28 years of executive leadership experience in the automotive industry, with a strong emphasis on customer relations, integrated collaboration, individual ownership and a commitment to continuous innovation. Inalfa Roof Systems develops and produces...

PPG announced June 26 that the company has appointed Alisha Bellezza as vice president for its Global Automotive Coatings business, with effect from July 17. The company said that Bellezza will succeed Vincent Robin, who has announced his intent to retire, effective July 31. She will report to Kevin Braun, PPG senior vice president of the Industrial Coatings segment. Bellezza is expected to support PPG’s continued focus and innovation related to improving sustainability for automoti...

Umicore announced May 5 that Denis Goffaux, executive vice president of Recycling, has decided to move on from the company May 31, after a successful career of nearly 30 years within the Group. Goffaux will be succeeded by Veerle Slenders, who currently serves as president Region Europe West at Linde Group. Slenders will join Umicore from June 1. Commenting on the development, Mathias Miedreich, CEO of Umicore, said, “The [management board] and I want to thank Denis for his v...

Tesla co-founder and former chief technical officer JB Straubel, who is also the founder of the battery-material recycling company Redwood Materials, is returning to Tesla to join its board of directors following a shareholder vote, according to a news report published by Electrek on May 16. Straubel had left Tesla in 2019 to launch his own venture, Redwood Materials, with an aim of establishing a circular economy for battery critical materials in the US. The report stated that Hiromi...

Europe’s largest carmaker Volkswagen has appointed Dirk Voeste as the new chief sustainability officer with effect from April 1, 2023, the company said on March 28. Voeste will report to Gernot Döllner, head of Group Strategy and general secretariat. Voeste’s appointment comes as the VW group has restructured its sustainability unit after Ralf Pfitzner moved on after serving the company for five years. VW further added that the company is also realigning the independent sustainability co...

Covestro has announced that Thomas Toepfer will resign as CFO at the end of August this year, a company press release dated 15 February read. Despite having a contract till March 2026, Toepfer will leave the company to pursue a new role as CFO at aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Thomas Toepfer has been a member of Covestro’s Board of Management since April 2018 and has additionally held the position of Labor Director since January 2019. Covestro has already begun its search for a new CFO....

In a press release on 16 February 2023, Constellium has announced that Jack Guo will be appointed as chief financial officer, effective 1 April 2023, following Peter Matt’s decision to leave the company to pursue another career opportunity. “I am delighted that Peter is offered such an exciting career opportunity. We are extremely grateful to him for his outstanding contributions to the transformation of Constellium as CFO,” stated Jean-Marc Germain, Constellium’s CEO. “He has ...

Swedish battery maker Northvolt has announced Jim Hageman Snabe as the new chairman of the board of directors, the company said on 14 December 2022. Snabe is the former CEO and board member of SAP and  the chairman of Siemens, a board member of C3.ai, a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum, and an adjunct professor at Copenhagen Business School. According to the company, the announcement is part of a long-term strategic initiative to build a more independent b...

PPG has appointed Tim Knavish as chief executive officer (CEO), effective 1 January 2023, it said in a press release on 19 October. Tim Knavish, currently serving as COO at PPG said, “I want to thank Michael and the PPG Board of Directors for their trust and confidence as we continue to drive PPG forward. Our global business portfolio remains well positioned for future growth and to successfully navigate through the current global economic challenges. I look forward to continuing to work wi...

Ford Motor Company announced on 22 September 2022 that the automaker is restructuring its top deck with an aim to strengthen its internal combustion product line and transform the company’s global supply chain management. The said management changes are being done as part of the company’s Ford+ plan, which intends to accelerate growth and value creation with the development of breakthrough electric vehicles at scale. Ford has named Doug Field as the new chief advanced product development ...

Restructuring its top deck, the German automotive supplier Webasto Group has promoted two internal candidates to its management board Yanni von Roy-Jiang, 42, and Jan Henning Mehlfeldt, 53, the company announced on 11 August 2022. Yanni von Roy-Jiang, who is currently serving as the executive vice president purchasing, will be the first Asian to join the company management board team, Webasto said in an official statement. She is promoted to become the chief operating officer and will assume ...

Norwegian battery maker FREYR Battery has appointed Michael J. Brose as the VP of its expanding US operations, the company announced on 23 August 2022. Although the company did not mention if Brose comes onboard with immediate effect, it said that he was serving as the plant manager for the Chicago-based WR Grace, a supplier of high-performance chemicals and materials. Commenting on Brose’s appointment, FREYR Battery CEO Tom Einar said, “The US is a key strategic market and a central elem...

Pricol has announced the appointment of Priyadarsi Bastia as chief financial officer, Autocar Professional reported on 15 June. Significance: Priyadarsi Bastia carries 22 years of corporate experience in finance, accounting, taxation, treasury, product costing, budgeting, pricing, process controls and improvements, cost optimization, investment evaluations, amongst others. His previous organizations include Murugappa Group, KPMG and Sastri & Shah. Pricol consists of a wide range of pro...

Materials company Covestro has announced that Dr. Markus Steilemann will remain as CEO for a further five years, according to a press release published by the company on 10 June. Mr. Steilemann has been a member of the Covestro Board of Management since September 2015 and its CEO since June 2018. Dr. Richard Pott, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Covestro AG, said, "Markus Steilemann has provided Covestro with outstanding leadership as CEO during his tenure to date, setting important stra...

Grupo Antolin has announced that it appointed Ramón Sotomayor Jauregui as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), according to a press release published by the company on 17 May. Sotomayor, has been tasked with updating the company's business plan to establish the group as a global provider of technical solutions for vehicle interiors, enhancing its competitive position, and accelerating value creation for all stakeholders. Ernesto Antolin, chairman of Grupo Antolin, said, “Ramón Sotomayor...

Grammer AG has announced via press release on 16 May that CEO Thorsten Seehars will leave the group at the end of May 2022. According to the company, the chairman of the board and the supervisory board had mutually agreed to end their term of office on 31 May 2022. Mr. Seehars' responsibilities will be taken over on an interim basis by the two Executive Board members, Jens Öhlenschläger, Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Jurate Keblyte, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), from 1 June 2022. Mr. Öh...

Stellantis has appointed Maxime Picat as its new Chief Purchasing and Supply Chain Officer, it said in a press release on 11 May. Maxime Picat’s appointment comes at a vital time when the automotive industry is going through a rapid transformation. His analytical skills and trusted relations with suppliers will enhance Stellantis’ short- and medium-term performance in the new E-mobility and alternative fuels ecosystem. Stellantis aims at lowering cost of EVs by 40% to ensure affordability, w...

Rheinmetall has announced that Dagmar Steinert will succeed Helmut P. Merch as the chief financial officer (CFO) of Rheinmetall from 1 January 2023, a company press release dated 3 May read. Steinert is currently a board member of Fuchs Petrolub, responsible for commercial and legal operations. Steinert had initially headed Rheinmetall’s accounting department from 2003 to 2013. Merch, who joined the company in 1982, had been the CFO since January 2013. He will retire at the...

Michigan-based vehicle manufacturer General Motors has appointed Jeffrey Morrison as vice president, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain with effect from 1 April 2022, the company announced on 3 March 2022. GM said that Morrison replaces Shilpan Amin, who was recently appointed as the company’s senior vice president and president, GM International, following the announcement of Steve Kiefer’s decision to retire after almost 40 years in the auto industry. In his current role, Morrison is re...

Lanxess announces three changes to the key positions with Martin Saewe to become the new head of the Group’s initiative for e-mobility and circular economy, Neelanjan Banerjee to head Lubricants Additives Business and Namitesh Roy Choudhury takes over as country head for LANXESS in India and as managing director of LANXESS India Private Limited, the company said in a press release on 11 February. Significance: Namitesh Roy Choudhury, the current head of Production, Technology, Safety and En...

Injection manufacturer ENGEL appoints Dr Gerhard Dimmler to the board as chief technology officer (CTO), the company announced in a press release on 2 February.   Dr Stefan Engleder, CEO, said, "Gerhard Dimmler has played a decisive role in shaping ENGEL's research and development in recent years, and has made a significant contribution to ENGEL being perceived as a technology leader in global markets. Bringing Mr Dimmler into the management team is an important step for the sustain...

Leoni has announced the appointment of Harald Nippel as the CFO, according to a company press release on 27 January. Nippel will take charge on 1 April 2022. Nippel served as the CFO of KraussMaffei Group since 2016. Prior to that, he was the CFO of Ixetic GmbH/Magna Powertrain and until 2010, the CFO of Böwe Systec. “We are very pleased that we have been able to win Harald Nippel as an experienced CFO for Leoni AG, thus ensuring a smooth transition from Ingrid Jägering to her successor. ...

Cooper Standard announced on 9 December appointment of Patrick Clark as SVP, chief manufacturing and commercial officer and will take up responsibility for the commercial function and automotive profit and loss (P&L) in addition to his existing responsibility for manufacturing, Enrique Nogueroles as VP and managing director for Asia Pacific and will assume P&L responsibility for the entire Asia Pacific business and Ramsey Changoo as vice president and managing director for ISG, assuming ...

PPG has appointed Vincent Robin as VP, Global Automotive Coatings, it said in a press release on 11 October. Robin will lead the company’s strategy focusing on commercial growth for global automotive coatings. Robin joined PPG in 1987 and moved through the organization where he held vital positions that helped the company attain a strong approach and will now lead the global outlook focusing on PPG’s mobility initiatives catering to development of electric, autonomous, connected and share...

American Battery Metals Corporation (ABTC), an American lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery recycling technology and advanced battery metal extraction company, announced on 30 August the appointment of current company CTO Ryan Melsert as its new CEO. According to the company’s press release, Melsert brings over 20 years of technology development and business expertise to his new position. Melsert, who holds a graduate degree in Engineering and an MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology joined...

According to a press release published on PR Newswire on 31 August, Inalfa Roof Systems, a global leader in the automotive industry based in the Netherlands, announced the immediate appointment of Linda Gao as the company's new president and CEO. Gao took over as president and CEO of the company in May 2021, succeeding Jörg Buchheim on an interim basis. "I am honored to lead the global Inalfa organization and continue working with our talented people, suppliers and customers across the globe...

American automotive components supplier, Dana Inc., has announced that it has appointed Byron Foster as the president of its Light Vehicle Drive Systems business. According to a press release issued by Dana on 28 June, the Ohio-based company stated that Foster will succeed Bob Pyle, who announced that he will be leaving Dana, effective 9 July, to accept a CEO position outside the mobility industry. Prior to this new appointment, Foster served as Dana's SVP and chief commercial, marketing...

PPG has appointed Andrew Carroll as vice president, automotive OEM coatings, Americas and mobility, according to a company press release on 24 May 2021. Carroll is currently serving as vice president, industrial coatings, Americas. Carroll will report to Rebecca Liebert, executive vice president. Significance: Carroll will be responsible for leading the automotive OEM coatings business in the Americas region through the development of a growth-focused commercial strategy. He will also lead an...

Electric vehicle (EV) battery startup Innolith has appointed Florian Wolf as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company, according to a company press release on 13 May 2021. Having spent 14 years in investment banking in London, Florian brings deep sector expertise in the EV ecosystem and a wealth of experience in corporate finance to Innolith. Prior to joining Innolith, Florian was an Executive Director within JP Morgan’s Diversified Industries Investment Banking team. His sect...

According to a press release from Azul 3D dated 4 March (via an article by BusinessWire), 3D printing tech startup Azul 3D has appointed Paul Decker as CEO, effective 1 March 2021. The company’s HARP™ technology allows the printing of 3D structures from a wide pallet of materials. HARP™-based printers are capable of manufacturing parts at production speeds, regardless of size, with a throughput dramatically outpacing its competitors and competitive with injection molding. Az...

Piedmont Lithium Ltd. (PLL) announced David Klanecky as EVP and COO. He will join the lithium chemicals company in April 2021 and be based at its Belmont, North Carolina headquarters. Keith Phillips, president, and CEO said, “We are very pleased to welcome David to our senior management team. David’s experience in and enthusiasm for this industry are unmatched. Having had responsibility for the world’s leading hard rock-based lithium hydroxide business, including spodumene investments i...

Borealis has appointed Thomas Gangl as the new CEO, the company announced in a press release on 5 February. The appointment will be effective from 1 April 2021. Gangl takes over from Alfred Stern, who has been appointed as executive board member for Chemicals & Materials of OMV AG. In his most recent role, Gangl served as the executive board member of OMV AG. “By appointing Thomas Gangl we have succeeded in gaining an exceptional manager and expert from among our own ranks to take the h...

India-based Spark Minda has appointed Biranchi Mohapatra as the CEO for its Information and Connected Systems (Wiring Harness, Sensor, and Cluster Products) business vertical II, according to a press release on 22 January. He has also been appointed as a member to its executive committee of the group. Ashok Minda, chairman and Group CEO, Minda Corporation said, “We are very excited to bring onboard such an accomplished business leader as Mohapatra, who in his nearly three decades in the ind...

Shiloh Industries has appointed Brad E Tolley as its new president, the company said in a press release on 21 January. Tolley has been associated with Shiloh since January 2014 and held several key roles and responsibilities. Prior to his latest promotion, he was working as senior vice president, Strategy & Operations. Before joining Shiloh, Tolley worked at Varroc Lighting Systems, Visteon, and Ford. Significance: Shiloh specializes in lightweighting and noise and vibration sol...

Johnson Matthey has appointed Stephen Oxley as their new chief financial officer, the company said in a press release on 12 January. He will join the board on 1 April 2021. Oxley will replace Karen Hayzen-Smith, who is the interim CFO. Stephen Oxley is a chartered accountant who has worked at KPMG for almost 30 years with audit and advisory roles for large international companies across FMCG, healthcare, natural resources, and industrial sectors. “I am delighted to be joining JM at ...

The Board of SKF has appointed Rickard Gustafson as its new President and CEO. According to a press release issued by SKF on 11 January, he will succeed Alrik Danielson and join SKF during the first half of 2021. Gustafson is currently the president and CEO of the Scandinavian airline holding company, SAS Group. He has also worked with the insurance company, Codan/Trygg Hansa, and General Electric. Significance: Commenting on the appointment, Hans Stråberg, chairman of the Board of AB SKF...

Magna has announced that Swamy Kotagiri has taken over as new CEO of the company, effective 1 January 2021, according to a company press release on 4 January. He succeeded Don Walker, who retired at the end of 2020. Kotagiri has been working with Magna for more than two decades now and has served in various product groups and corporate roles, spanning functions including engineering, operations, and research and development (R&D). Kotagiri contributed to the company’s recent g...

Continental has appointed Nikolai Setzer as its new CEO and executive board chairman, effective 1 December, the company has announced in a press release on 12 November. The appointment will be effective until March 2024. He succeeds Dr. Elmar Degenhart who is stepping down from his position for health reasons, with the consent of the Supervisory Board, effective 30 November 2020. Significance: Setzer has been working with Continental since 1997. In his 23-year career at the company to date, h...

Continental CEO Dr. Elmar Degenhart will resign from his position effective 30 November 2020, citing health reasons, according to a company press release on 29 October 2020. He has asked the supervisory board to accept the early termination of his executive board directorship and his contract, which would have run until 11 August 2024. Degenhart explained the reasons for choosing the timing of his resignation. “After a lot of effort invested for the benefit of our organization, I was r...

Canadian supplier Magna has appointed Seetarama (Swamy) Kotagiri as its new CEO, according to a company press release on 20 October. The appointment is effective 1 January 2021. He will succeed Don Walker, who served as CEO between 1994 and 2001, and since 2005, will retire at the end of 2020. Significance: Kotagiri has more than 25 years of automotive industry experience, 21 years of which have been with Magna. In his previous role as Magna’s CTO, the company further strengthened its cultu...

Germany-based Henkel has appointed Sunil Kumar as the Country President of its India businesses, according to a report by Autocar Professional on 5 October. The appointment is effective 1 October 2020. In this role, he will be responsible for guiding Henkel’s adhesive and beauty care businesses in India and the two legal entities of the company in the country—Henkel Adhesives Technologies India and Henkel Anand India. Besides this role, Sunil will continue in his existing role of regional...

Johnson Matthey’s CFO Anna Manz has decided to leave the company after almost four years, according to a company press release on 25 June. Manz will join London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) as CFO and a member of the board of LSEG plc. Manz is to step down from the board on 20 November 2020. Meanwhile, the company has commenced the search of a successor and expects to announce an appointment in due course. “Anna has made a significant contribution to JM since she joined us back in ...

Cooper Standard has announced certain changes to its global leadership team, effective 1 August, according to a company press release on 23 June 2020. The company has appointed Patrick R. Clark as senior vice president and chief global manufacturing officer. He will replace Hans O. Helmrich, who is leaving the Company to pursue another opportunity. In addition, Christopher E. Couch will be responsible for global product development, product strategy, and program management; while continuing to l...

The Supervisory Board of BASF has appointed Dr. Kurt Bock as the new chairman, according to a company press release on 18 June 2020. Bock had previously been elected to the supervisory board of BASF by the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting as a shareholder representative. The term runs until the end of the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in 2024. Dr. Bock succeeds Dr. Jürgen Hambrecht, who has resigned from the Supervisory Board at the end of the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting 2020.

Metal processing specialist, the Benteler Group, has announced the appointment of Dr. Arno Haselhorst as its Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO). According to a press statement issued by Benteler on 19 June, the company has stated that Dr. Haselhorst will be the fourth member of the company’s Executive Board. He will be responsible for the restructuring measures within the transformation program of the company. Dr. Haselhorst has over 30 years of experience in industry and consulting with a f...

Andreas Wolf, the chief executive officer of Vitesco Technologies, has been appointed to the executive board of German automotive components and systems supplier Continental AG. In a press statement released by Continental on 3 June, the company has announced that the appointment of Wolf will be with effect from 3 June 2020, and that it will be for a term of three years. Additionally, if the planned spin-off of Vitesco Technologies will take place within this three year period, the appointment t...

Leoni has announced that its senior management body will be realigned effective 1 June 2020, a company press release showed on 29 May. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aldo Kamper will oversee the operational management and strategic direction and will include corporate communications and investor relations, corporate human resources management, corporate legal, and corporate strategy departments will be assigned to his remit. Kamper will continue to head the Wiring Systems Division (WSD) a...

Borealis has appointed Erik van Praet as vice president of Innovation and Technology, according to a company press release on 26 May. The appointment is effective 1 April 2020. Erik van Praet succeeds Maurits van Tol, who decided to pursue his career outside of Borealis in October 2019. Significance: Van Praet has held the position of director of Strategy and Portfolio for over a decade, first in Linz, Austria, and then in Beringen, Belgium. He joined Borealis in 1995 as development engi...

Varroc Engineering Ltd has appointed Rohit Prakash as president of Metallic Business, according to a press release on 21 May. He will be report to Tarang Jain, managing director of Varroc. Rohit has also been appointed the additional/whole-time director of the company. Significance: Rohit Prakash has more than three decades of experience with major four- and two-wheeler manufacturers in the country and carries extensive experience in planning and executing projects for new plant setups and de...

India-based Sandhar Technologies has promoted Narender Kumar Dogra as the interim CFO with effect from 11 May, the company said in a filing with Bombay Stock Exchange on 12 May. Dogra is currently serving as assistant vice president of the company. Significance: Dogra replaced Arvind Joshi, who resigned from the CFO post on 10 May due to personal reasons. Joshi joined the company as CFO in 2006, moving up the ranks to add the roles of compliance officer and director, Finance and Pro...

Sandhar Technologies' chief financial officer (CFO) Arvind Joshi has resigned from the post due to personal reasons, the company said in a filing with Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on 11 May. The resignation is effective 10 May. Significance: Joshi had been with Sandhar Technologies for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of leadership capacities including company secretary and compliance officer of the company. Before Sandhar, Joshi had worked with Global Steel Holdings Ltd. as head-inter...

Shiloh Industries, Inc., a global supplier of lightweighting, noise and vibration solutions, has appointed Cloyd J. Abruzzo as the company’s interim CEO effective immediately, according to a company press release on 5 May. Abruzzo, the retired CEO of Stoneridge, has over 25 years of experience in the automotive industry and has served as a member of Shiloh’s Board of Directors since 2004. Ramzi Y. Hermiz, Shiloh’s CEO since August 2012, has resigned from the company to pursue other p...

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has appointed Naoki Miyazaki as the new chairman of the company and Toru Koyama as the new president, according to a company press release on 23 March. Miyazaki is currently serving as president, while Koyama is currently serving as executive vice president. The company said that “these appointments will be officially made at its 97th General Shareholders’ Meeting scheduled to be held in June 2020 and the Board of Directors Meeting that will be held soon after the Shar...

German specialty chemicals company LANXESS has appointed Frederique van Baarle as the new head of the High Performance Materials business unit with effect from 1 June 2020, according to a press release on 11 March. Baarlen will succeed Michael Zobel, who will take over as head of the LANXESS subsidiary Saltigo. The High Performance Materials business unit’s portfolio mainly comprises high-performance plastics for the automotive and electronics industries. Baarlen is currently head...

PPG has appointed Tom Maziarz as vice president, automotive refinish, Americas, effective 1 March, the company announced in a press release on 18 February. Maziarz will succeed Greg Benckart, who has announced his intention to retire, effective 1 July. Maziarz is currently serving as general manager, marketing and sales, automotive refinish, US and Canada (USCA). He joined PPG in 1993 and has progressed through a variety of sales management positions of increasing responsibility. He has ...

Plastic Omnium has appointed Stéphane Noël as president and CEO of Intelligent Exterior Systems, and Christian Kopp has been appointed president and CEO of Clean Energy Systems. Both appointments are effective from 1 January 2020. Noël joined Plastic Omnium in 2012 as president and CEO for Asia for the Clean Energy Systems business. In October 2017, he took on the role of president and CEO of Clean Energy Systems. Kopp joined Plastic Omnium in 2007. Most recently, he served ...

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has announced organizational and certain personnel changes, effective 1 January 2020, according to a company press release on 25 December. The Japanese supplier has decided to combine advanced development functions of the Research and Development (R&D) Division and the Material Engineering Division into a new Advanced Materials Development Division. In addition, to strengthen the planning and administration of R&D items, the Technical Planning Division will be move...

Henkel has appointed Marco Swoboda as new Chief Financial Officer of Henkel, effective 1 January 2020, according to a company press release on 20 December. Swoboda is currently serving as corporate senior vice president, Finance. He will succeed Carsten Knobel, who will take over the position as CEO effective 1 January 2020. Swoboda began his career with Henkel in 1997 in the group’s controlling/strategy unit. Following the spin-off of Henkel's chemicals division under the name Cognis, he j...

Gestamp, a manufacturer of highly engineered metal components for the automotive industry, has appointed Carmen de Pablo as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Spanish company announced in a press release on 19 December. De Pablo will succeed Miguel Escrig, who will step down from his position as CFO, as mutually agreed with the company. Previously, De Pablo has worked as director of Corporate Development and Investor Relations. She joined Gestamp in 2013. Among other ...

Brose Group has announced the appointment of Ulrich Schrickel as its new CEO, effective 1 January 2020, the company said in a press release on 3 December. Schrickel will replace Kurt Sauernheimer, who is retiring after serving the German automotive supplier for 32 years. “Ulrich Schrickel will lead the Brose Group into the future as an independent family-owned company, strengthen its profitability and power to innovate and prepare the organization on its way to becoming a modern, entrepreneuri...

ArcelorMittal Italia has appointed Lucia Morselli as chairman of the board and CEO, effective 15 October, according to a company press release. She will replace Matthieu Jehl, who will take up new responsibilities within ArcelorMittal. Morselli is a member of the board of directors at Essilor-Luxottica, Telecom Italia SPA, Sisal SPA and ST Microelectronics. She has held the position at various companies including Acciai Speciali Terni SPA, Berco Group, BioEra S.p.A., Mikado S.p.A., Tecnosyste...

The board of directors of Autoneum Holding Ltd has appointed Matthias Holzammer, the former head of Business Group Europe, as CEO with immediate effect, according to a company press release on 8 October. Holzammer succeeded Martin Hirzel, who has resigned from the post. Autoneum said that Holzammer has already demonstrated his operational expertise as the company’s head of Business Group Europe, which he successfully restructured from 2012 on and transformed into a highly profitable business g...

Volkswagen (VW) has appointed Dirk Große-Loheide as its new head of procurement of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, effective 1 October, the automaker announced on 1 October. Große-Loheide succeeds Dr. Stefan Sommer, who was previously in charge of this brand function, in addition to his responsibilities as group board member for Components and Procurement. Sommer will now concentrate fully on his extensive tasks as a member of the group board. Große-Loheide has been working wi...

Minda Corporation’s current chief financial officer (CFO) Sanjay Aneja has resigned from the company, effective 25 September, according to a report by ET Auto on 26 September. Minda Corp, a part of Spark Minda Group, has appointed Laxman Ramnarayan as the new CFO with effect from 26 September. Laxman has more than 25 years of experience in finance, merger & acquisition and private equity. He previously worked with Kotak Private Equity and Kotak Investment Bank.

Plastic Omnium has appointed Laurent Favre as CEO of the company and Laurent Burelle as chairman of the group, starting 1 January 2020, according to a company press release on 24 September. Most recently, Favre served as managing director at ABB, the Swiss-Swedish maker of robotics, power, heavy electrical equipment, and automation technology. Before that he held executive positions at Benteler Automotive, the German supplier of exhaust systems, chassis components, and other products, st...

Johnson Matthey (JM) has appointed Christian Gϋnther as CEO of its Battery Materials Business, effective 4 November 2019, according to a company press release on 6 September. In his new role, Christian will lead the commercialization of eLNO®, the company’s portfolio of ultra-high energy density cathode materials. He joins JM from Tasnee, a Saudi Arabian company with a wide range of activities in chemicals, petrochemicals, plastics, batteries manufacturing, and environmental technologies....

Johnson Mathey has appointed Maurits van Tol as the new chief technology officer (CTO), the company announced in a press release on 16 August. Maurits will also be a member of the Group Management Committee and will report directly to Robert MacLeod, CEO of Johnson Matthey. The appointment will be effective from 16 October 2019. Currently, Maurits is serving as the senior vice president of Innovation and Technology at Borealis. Maurits has been responsible for shaping the Circular Economy bus...

SGL Carbon has announced the resignation of its CEO Dr. Jürgen Köhler, the company said in a press release on 14 August. Köhler will leave the Germany-based carbon fiber supplier at the end of this month. Significance: SGL Carbon supplies graphite and composite materials and products for several industries, including automotive. In automotive, the company’s materials are used in production of semiconductors, LEDs, and lithium-ion batteries. SGL Carbon also supplies composite materials fo...

Rheinmetall Automotive’s chairman of the Executive Board and Automotive CEO Horst Binning will retire from the group by the end of 2019, the company announced in a press release on 24 July.  Following the implementation of a succession plan with a smooth transition of leadership duties, he will relinquish his responsibilities within the group. Binnig joined the Automotive sector of the Rheinmetall Group in 1999 in charge of Corporate Development and then headed the Automotive subs...

Johnson Matthey has appointed Joan Braca as the new chief executive of Clean Air Sector, the company announced in a press release on 17 July. Joan will succeed John Walker, executive director and Chief Executive of Clear Air Sector, who will retire from the company and step down from the board on 31st March 2020. Braca’s appointment will be effective from 1 October 2019 at which point John will cease to have executive responsibility for Clean Air. Braca joins Johnson Matthey from Tate &...

BASF has appointed Carola Richter as its president of South & East Asia, ASEAN, and Australia/New Zealand, effective 1 July, according to a company press release on 11 July. She succeeded Ramkumar Dhruva, who assumes responsibility for BASF’s global Monomers Division in Waterloo, Belgium. Richter started her career with BASF in 2003 as a management consultant in Germany. Subsequently, she held various management positions in Hong Kong and Germany, including senior vice-president of Glob...

Bekaert has appointed Taoufiq Boussaid as new chief financial officer (CFO), effective 15 July 2019, according to a company press release on 10 July. Boussaid will be a member of the Bekaert Group Executive. Boussaid will succeed Frank Vromant who has been serving as interim CFO since November last year. In November last year, Beatríz García-Cos Muntañola stepped down as executive vice president and CFO of Bekaert. Boussaid began his career in international finance with an initial 10-ye...

PPG has appointed James T. (JT) Jones as vice president, procurement, effective 1 July 2019, who will report directly to Rebecca Liebert, senior vice president, automotive coatings, according to a company press release on 25 June. Jones will be responsible for leading PPG’s global procurement team, processes and strategy. In addition, he will be responsible for optimizing the company’s global supplier base of purchased raw materials, goods and services spanning numerous categories and region...

Tower International, a provider of engineered automotive structural metal components and assemblies, has announced management changes to better align the company to a leaner organization, the company said in a press release on 17 June. The company has appointed Reid Southby as executive vice-president and general manager of Tower North America. In this newly created role, Southby will be responsible for Tower's operations in the region and will report to Tower CEO Jim Gouin. Prior to Tower, S...

Axalta Coating Systems has appointed current Independent Presiding Director Mark Garrett as its new chairman after Charlie Shaver resigned as Chairman of its board of directors, effective 30 June 2019, according to a company press release on 24 June. Garrett also serves as Chairman of Axalta's Strategic Review Committee. Garrett has over three decades of senior management experience in the chemical sector. He had served as chairman of executive board of Borealis AG since 2007 until 2 July 201...

Henniges Automotive, a supplier of highly engineered sealing and anti-vibration systems for the automotive market, has appointed L. Brooks Mallard as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO), according to a company press release on 11 June. As CFO, Mallard will drive the company's treasury, capital funding and internal structure, responsible for overseeing accounting and financial reporting, financial planning, risk management, financial controls, taxation, information technology an...

Erwin Doll has stepped down as vice chairman of the executive board of the Röchling Group and head of the Automotive division with immediate effect owing to strategic differences regarding the future direction of the division, according to a company press release on 20 May. Hanns-Peter Knaebel will take over Doll's responsibilities. Doll joined the Röchling Group in 2006 and was appointed executive vice president of Sales and R&D at Röchling Automotive, later in addition also for ...

Autoneum has appointed Greg Sibley as new head of Business Group North America and member of its Group Executive Board, the Switzerland based company said in a press release on 30 April. Sibley will start as deputy head of Business Group North America from 15 May and will take over as its head after a transition period on 1 July. Sibley will assume the responsibility from Fautso Bigi, head of Business Group South America, Middle East and Africa (SAMEA). Bigi has been interim head of Business ...

SKF has appointed Niclas Rosenlew as the new chief financial officer (CFO), the company announced in a press release on 30 April. The appointment will be effective from 17 June 2019. Rosenlew succeeds Christian Johansson, who is leaving SKF with immediate effect, to pursue his career outside the company. Alrik Danielson, president and CEO of SKF, will assume the role of interim CFO until 17 June 2019. Rosenlew is currently serving as as the CFO of Basware. He has also served at senior positio...

Röchling SE & Co. KG. has appointed Evelyn Thome as the new chief financial officer (CFO) of the company, according to a press release on 29 April. She succeeded Steffen Rowold, who resigned from the CFO post on 1 December 2018, for personal reasons. Thome joined Gebrüder Röchling KG as a financial analyst in 2000, later taking on the role of head of Group Controlling in 2002. Between 2003 and 2007, she also served as commercial director of Röchling Automotive AG & Co. KG. In 2007...

The Supervisory Board of Grammer has appointed Thorsten Seehars as the new CEO of the company, effective 1 August 2019 for a term of three years, according to a press release on 25 April. Seehars succeeds Hartmut Müller, who resigned from the post on 31 December 2018. Seehars is currently a member of the management board of Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH. The company said that Manfred Pretscher, member of the executive board, will continue to hold the position of the CEO on an int...

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has announced that its chief operating officer (COO) Dieter Schäfer will retire on 30 June 2019, according to a company press release last week (17 April). Schäfer has agreed to consult with the company for an additional two years upon his retirement. Theodore Duclos will take over Schäfer’s responsibilities as COO and will be responsible for operations, lean, supply chain management, and purchasing areas. “We thank Dieter Schäfer for his ext...