ContiTech appoints new NAFTA leader

Fairlawn, Ohio — Less than three months after the closing of its purchase of Fairlawn-based Veyance Technologies Inc., ContiTech already has a new leader for its NAFTA region.

ContiTech’s executive board has appointed Jim Hill — a long-time veteran at Veyance and Goodyear Engineered Products — as CEO of its newly established NAFTA region business, replacing Charles Seymour.

Seymour previously had been Veyance’s vice president and general manager for North America, and was introduced as the ContiTech NAFTA CEO when the €1.5 billion deal was completed in late January.

He could not be reached for comment, but a number of ContiTech staff members attending the NAHAD annual convention in Miami said Seymour left of his own volition. They said he reportedly was taking a job with Carlyle Group, the private equity firm that sold Veyance to ContiTech.

Hill, based in Fairlawn, will coordinate all the administrative functions and commercial activity of ContiTech’s newly formed business region in North America and will report directly to Hans-Juergen Duensing, ContiTech head.

Hill will additionally serve as the head of ContiTech’s Power Transmission Group market segment for the Americas.

He joined Goodyear Engineered Products in November 1988. Before his assignment as general manager for the industrial and aftermarket segments in 2009, he held several leadership positions in marketing and sales in a multitude of product segments.

“Jim brings a unique knowledge of the market and a deep understanding of our customers,” Duensing, head of the global ContiTech business, said in a statement.

“Over the last three months our associates have done an excellent job of driving forward the integration of Veyance and ContiTech and making the transition as smooth as possible for our customers. With Jim at the helm of the new business region, we will continue to offer great products and programs to this market.”

Hill said he is looking forward to his new position and the chance to build on the “great foundation that we established as Veyance and utilize our new resources with ContiTech to make our customers successful in the marketplace.”