ERJ Appointments Tracker: May/June

India: Apollo Tyre’s president of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region Satish Sharma is retiring early on 1 June and, so, also stepping down from his position as a ‘wholetime director’ of the group's board. The Indian tire maker has now appointed chief financial officer Gaurav Kumar as ‘wholetime director’. 

Belgium: Dr Ilham Kadri, CEO of Syensqo, formerly part of Solvay, has become the president of the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic). She succeeds BASF leader Dr Martin Brudermueller, who held the position for the past four years. Kadri, claimed to be “one of Europe’s most prominent and well-known business leaders”, holds a degree in chemical engineering and a PhD in macromolecular physico-chemistry. Prior to this, Kadri served as Cefic’s VP.

US: Sri Lankan tire maker GRI has named Ydo Doornbos as director of North America as part of the strategy to expand global presence. Doornbos brings nearly three decades of tire industry experience with him, having previously worked with Trelleborg Wheel Systems (TWS) in various capacities. His most recent position at TWS was regional president North & Central America – Agricultural, mining and construction business. In 2022, Doornbos took on the role of VP business development at tire engineering company American Pacific Industries (API).

Japan: Yokohama Rubber Co. has announced that Masahiro Yuki has gained an IR office leadership role in addition to his existing positions as director & executive officer, accounting department, deputy general manager of its tire planning division, and chairman of the board of directors of Yokohama Rubber (China) Co. Ltd.

Germany: Almost half (47%) of office workers in Germany would quit their jobs if they lost the option of working from home or remotely, found a YouGov survey of over 2,000 office workers on behalf of Continental. Executive board member for HR and Sustainability Dr. Ariane Reinhart said: “Many employees got to appreciate the benefits of flexible working during the pandemic and are now no longer willing to lose them. At the same time, there are good reasons for increased office attendance.” Some 62% of respondents said spending at least half of their weekly working hours or more in the office was ideal.