ERJ Appointments Tracker - 2026

Regular update of senior appointments across the global rubber & tire manufacturing industry:

MAY

Bekaert has appointed Olivier Biebuyck as chief executive officer, effective 1 June, succeeding Yves Kerstens, who will step down at the end of May. Biebuyck brings “extensive experience in leading, growing and transforming global industrial businesses, both organically and through acquisitions,” said Bekaert.

The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP) has elected Eneos Materials president Satoru Shiga as president-international for 2026-27, succeeding Douglas Wilson of LCY. Shiga, who joined Nippon Oil Corp. in 1993 as a chemical engineer, became president and representative director of Eneos Materials in April 2025 after holding senior roles in corporate planning, overseas business development and carbon neutrality strategy within the Eneos Group. IISRP also confirmed appointments to its executive committee, including Bhavesh Pande, Manfredi Manutelli of Versalis and Brian Chapman of Kuraray Americas.

Georg Nordmann Holding AG has appointed Martin Rathke as managing director of chemical distributor Nordmann, effective 1 May. Rathke joins with international sales and distribution experience gained within the chemical distribution sector and family-owned businesses. He will work alongside existing managing director Ulrich Cramer to support Nordmann’s strategic development and international expansion.

Covestro has appointed Klaus Froehlich as chief financial officer effective 1 Oct, succeeding Christian Baier, who will leave the company at the end of September after deciding not to extend his contract. Froehlich, currently group chief investment officer at ADNOC, has more than 25 years of experience in finance and investment banking and previously worked for Morgan Stanley as head of investment banking for the Middle East and North Africa.

US extrusion tooling supplier Guill Tool has named Stephen Ovren sales manager for its extrusion division, effective 23 March. Ovren previously worked as senior business consultant at GES/GRB Consulting and general manager at ATW Companies. His new responsibilities include sales, marketing and customer service for the extrusion division.

APRIL

Synthomer's chief financial officer Lily Liu will step down to join Belgian materials group Umicore as executive vice president and CFO. The company named Iain Torrens as interim CFO and executive director from 15 May while it reviews longer-term options. Torrens most recently served as interim CFO and later CEO of John Wood Group.

Continental's supervisory board chairman Wolfgang Reitzle has stepped down at the conclusion of its annual shareholders’ meeting after 16 years in the role. Sabrina Soussan is set to succeed him as chair of the supervisory board. Soussan, according to Continental, has "an international career spanning roles at Renault, Siemens, Continental and Suez."

Nokian Tyres has appointed Ville Mansikkamaeki as SVP 'heavy tires' and a member of the management team, effective 1 Oct. Mansikkamaeki joins Nokian from Ponsse Plc, a manufacturer of cut-to-length forest machines where he served as VP, Europe. Prior to Ponsse, he held senior business leadership roles at CNH, Valtra and AGCO.

Synthos SA has appointed Agata Gladysz Stanczyk as president of the management board with effect from 24 April, while current chief executive Zbigniew Warmuz moves to the supervisory board as vice chairman. Gladysz Stanczyk has been with the group since 2020 and most recently led the insulation materials business unit. She brings “many years of practice in international business structures,” as well as her experience in industry organisations at the European level. Since 2025, Gladysz Stanczyk has served as president of the European Manufacturers of Expanded Polystyrene Association (EUMEPS).

Evonik Industries has agreed to extend the contract of chief executive Christian Kullmann until 2030 and appointed Michael Rauch as CFO. Rauch, who joins on 1 May, has held senior finance and leadership roles at Henkel, CompuGroup Medical, Douglas and Selecta AG. Supervisory board chairman Bernd Toenjes said Kullmann “stands for stability and continuity in challenging times,” adding that Rauch brings significant transformation experience to help make the group “even more weatherproof in a volatile market environment through resilient financial management.”

Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has appointed Michael Wallwork as chief executive officer. Wallwork joins the UK-based aircraft tire maker from Renold plc, where he served as president of Renold Chain, overseeing operations across Europe, China and India. He previously held senior roles at Manuli Hydraulics, Brammer and Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, managing multi-national businesses across several regions.

JK Tyre & Industries has appointed Mandar Deo as president – India, effective 14 April. The role is based in Delhi and Deo will be reporting to chairman & managing director Raghupati Singhania and managing director Anshuman Singhania. Deo holds engineering, MBA and PhD qualifications and brings more than two decades of experience, including senior roles at Exide Energy Solutions, Cummins India and Cummins Inc. 

Timo Koponen has started as Nokian Tyres’ new chief financial officer, the Finnish group announced 16 April – confirming a release issued 14 Jan. Koponen, who holds and MSc econ and business administration, joined Nokian from mining and tunneling technology company Normet, where he was CFO. He previously held senior finance and business roles at Lamor Corp., Wärtsilä, Hackman, and Konecranes. Koponen replaces interim CFO Jari Huuhtanen, who continues as VP, group business control.

Dow Inc. has appointed Karen Carter as chief executive officer, effective 1 July, succeeding Jim Fitterling, who will move into the role of executive chair. Read more

Guill Tool has appointed Stephen Ovren as sales manager for its extrusion division, with responsibility for sales, marketing and customer service. Ovren joins from GES/GRB Consulting and previously served as general manager at ATW Companies. He holds an MBA from the University of Miami and a degree in industrial technology and manufacturing engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Elkem has announced that CEO Helge Aasen will step down from his role and has been nominated as chairman of the board, effective following completion of the sale of a majority stake in its Silicones division to Bluestar. The proposal was put forward by the company’s nomination committee as part of a broader board restructuring linked to the transaction.

Standard Profil has appointed Marlene Born-Kinne as interim chief financial officer, effective 31 March. Born-Kinne brings experience across industrial manufacturing, financial services and consulting, with a focus on transformation, strategy execution and financial governance.

Scandinavian Enviro Systems has announced that its representatives Ewa Bjoerling and Fredrik Aaben have stepped down from the board of joint venture Infiniteria Europe Sarl, following Enviro’s ongoing corporate reorganisation and the termination of its cooperation agreements with the JV. (ERJ report)

Datwyler has appointed Cindy Reiss-Clark as chief operating officer of its “healthcare division” and member of the executive board effective 7 April, succeeding Dirk Borghs who is stepping down for health reasons ahead of planned retirement in 2027. Separately, CTO Frank Schoen will step down from the executive board effective 1 May for “personal reasons” and will take on responsibility for the “technologies & methods” R&D area.

Qingdao Sentury Tire announced 28 March that VP Philippe Oberti has retired and resigned from all positions at the company and its subsidiaries with immediate effect. Oberti’s responsibilities have been handed over, said Sentury, noting that its R&D centre is now under interim management by chairman Qin Long. The tire maker noted that during his tenure, Oberti made “significant contributions” to the development of the global talent pool of its R&D centre and the overall planning and implementation of technology within the group.

MARCH

Linglong Tire has appointed Zhou Lingkun as president following the resignation of Wang Feng, who stepped down to “optimise the company’s governance structure,” the group said in a 17 March filing. Read more

VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery has appointed Sandra Fuellsack as chair, replacing Ulrich Reifenhauser, who steps down after more than three decades on the board. Rainer Zimmermann is also retiring, with Bernd Reifenhauser and Lukas Zimmermann joining the executive board. The association said the changes mark a “new generation on the board,” with both long-standing members credited for shaping its work over decades.

German distributor Biesterfeld has named Joe Read as managing director for the UK and Ireland, effective 1 March, succeeding Guy Payne, who will move into an advisory role. Read brings experience from companies including DuPont, Delrin and EMS-Chemie.

Pirelli has appointed Dario Marrafuschi to lead its motorsport business from 1 March, succeeding Mario Isola, who will support the transition until July. Marrafuschi, who joined the group in 2008, has worked in Formula 1 research and development and more recently led road product development.

February

Dr. Gerard Nijman, the expert in tire and rubber extrusion at KraussMaffei Extrusion has been recognised with the prestigious Fernley H. Banbury Award by the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Nijman, said KM, has played a “decisive role in driving forward important advances in rubber rheology, in the development of new mixing and multiplex extrusion technologies, and in the modern production and processing of silica compounds for the tire industry.” His work, it added, has strengthened the link between scientific research and industrial practice and set standards for rubber processing.

Covestro AG has announced that its CEO Dr Markus Steilemann will not be available for a further term of office upon the expiry of his current term, which runs until end of May 2028. The German supplier said it will initiate an orderly succession process for the position of CEO "in due course." 

Hankook Tyre UK has appointed Ho Seok Chea as managing director, effective 1 Jan, based at the company’s headquarters in Daventry. Chea joins the role with international experience across Europe and the US, most recently serving in The Netherlands. He joined Hankook in South Korea in 2005 and brings his “strategic expertise” in sales and marketing to the new position to strengthen the brand in the UK market.

Kraton Corp. has appointed Sangwoo Ryu as chief executive officer. Ryu currently serves as CEO of Cariflex Pte Ltd, a Kraton spin-off under DL Chemical. He previously held the role of chief financial officer at Cariflex before becoming its CEO in April 2025.

ContiTech has appointed Jim Hill as VP of distribution for its Industrial Solutions Americas business area. Hill, previously VP marketing and strategy within the same division, will oversee distribution strategy across the region and focus on strengthening relationships with customers and distribution partners. He joined ContiTech in 2015 and previously held management roles at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Goodyear Engineered Products, now part of ContiTech.

Russian tire maker JSC Cordiant has appointed Dmitry Gorbachev as CEO, effective 8 Feb. Gorbachev succeeds Vadim Volodin, who led the tire holding since 2016 and is leaving to pursue personal projects. Gorbachev previously served as deputy CEO for strategic development and business systems and has more than 15 years’ experience in operational efficiency and lean production. He joined Cordiant in December 2024. Cordiant operates plants in Yaroslavl (3.6 million tires/year), Omsk (5.5 million), Kaluga Region (3.2 million, former Continental assets) and Ulyanovsk (2.4 million, former Bridgestone assets).

Linglong Tire has appointed Sherif Degheidy as director speciality tires MEA effective 9 Feb. The newly created role will see Degheidy oversee strategy and sales for the division across the Middle East and Africa, reporting to Jeffrey Hughes, director EMEA. Degheidy joins from Goodyear, where he led the speciality tires business across the Middle East and East and West Africa for 12 years, most recently as OTR sales manager. He previously worked at KAL Tire, managing tire operations at a gold mine in Egypt.

Luxembourg-based graphene nanotube producer OCSiAl has appointed Antigone Loudiadis as a director following “a substantial investment” by an entity she owns at the end of 2025. Loudiadis founded and led UK pension insurer Rothesay Life and was previously a partner at Goldman Sachs International and co-head of its European investment banking division. She has 30 years’ experience in structured finance and M&A. OCSiAl said the appointment comes as it accelerates industrial scale-up and prepares for larger long-term investments, positioning the company to expand in sectors including tires, coatings, EVs, data centres, AI, robotics and aerospace.

January

Toyo Tire has expanded Tatsuo Mitsuhata’s role to include to president and CEO of Toyo Tire North America OE Sales LLC, in addition to his current position as senior corporate officer, chairman and CEO of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. The appointment will take effect 1 Feb, said Toyo.

Forbo Holding has appointed Heinz Hoessli as CFO of the Forbo Group, effective 1 July. Hoessli, currently CFO of Interroll Group, will succeed Peter Germann, who has served as interim CFO since Oct 2025 and will retire following the handover. Prior to Interroll, Hoessli spent 21 years at Bühler Group, where he held financial roles including CFO/VP advanced materials. Hoessli will also join Forbo’s executive board.

Michelin has appointed Benedicte de Bonnechose as CFO effective 1 June, succeeding Yves Chapot in this role. A member of the Michelin executive committee since 1 Jan 2021, De Bonnechose currently supervises the 'urban' and 'long-distance transportation' business lines, as well as the European region. She joined Michelin in April 2019 as deputy group CFO, having previously worked at Deloitte and Lafarge Group in financial roles.

Ulrich Zimmer has been named as the chief operating officer of ErlingKlinger, succeeding Reiner Drews who is departing the firm 31 March. As COO, Zimmer will oversee the “lightweighting/elastomer technology”, “metal sealing systems & drivetrain components”, and “metal forming & assembly technology” business units. These will be in addition to corporate units production, quality, purchasing, real estate, and supply chain management as well as the area of innovation and R&D. Zimmer is due to take up his new post in the course of 2026. Zimmer currently holds the position of SVP R&D at Traton SE within the Volkswagen Group and is responsible for Traton's German R&D sites in his role as managing director.

Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Ltd (DATL) has appointed Lee Timbrell as chief commercial officer, tasking him with leading global commercial strategy, sales, business development and customer engagement. Timbrell joins from Safran Actuation Systems, where he served as senior director, aftermarket services, with responsibility for sales and profitability across nine global MRO sites. Dunlop said the appointment follows strong financial performance in 2025 and the completion of a $93m senior secured bond offering, which it said "strengthens our balance sheet and provides added flexibility to support our future growth strategy."

Greene Tweed has named Thomas Castle as chief operating officer, with responsibility for global operations spanning manufacturing, supply chain, quality, engineering, procurement and safety. Castle has over three decades of operations leadership experience, most recently serving as COO of components maker CMI Group. He previously held senior operations roles at TPI Composites, Honeywell Aerospace and GE Aviation. Greene Tweed said the appointment supports its global expansion plans and focus on operational excellence as demand increases across key end markets.

Pirelli has appointed Davide Dellorenzi as representative director and president of Pirelli Japan, effective 1 Jan. He succeeds Filippo Cibralio, who has been named chief commercial officer of Pirelli APAC. Dellorenzi joined Pirelli in 2018 and was appointed head of global commercial motorsport in the same year.

Scandinavian Enviro Systems has appointed Fredrik Aaben as chief executive officer, effective 16 Jan, following the departure of Fredrik Emilson by mutual agreement. Emilson will remain with the company as senior advisor during a transition period. Aaben joined Enviro as chief financial officer in November 2024. Prior to that, he was head of corporate finance at Volvo Cars. Alongside the CEO change, Maria Ljungstrand has been appointed CFO. Ljungstrand joined Enviro in April 2024 and previously held business controller roles at Danone and Mondelez International.

David Cichocki is to join Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. as managing director, Americas and chief sales officer, Americas Consumer, effective?19 Jan, the tire maker has announced. Cichocki has around 30 years of commercial leadership experience across industrial and consumer goods brands. Most recently, he was senior vice president, US sales, at Whirlpool Corp., leading retail, builder/contract and direct-to-consumer channels. He previously spent more than two decades at Kraft Foods/Nabisco.

Oftringen, Switzerland-based Omya Performance Polymer Distribution has appointed Sara Ghione as president for its rubber polymers and additives unit, effective 1 Jan. Ghione has over 20 years’ experience in the chemical distribution industry, most recently as business director for polymers and rubber EMEA for Brenntag. She is based in Oftringen, reporting to CEO Carsten Harms, added the 15 Jan announcement.

Kraton Corp. has announced that its chief executive Marcello Boldrini has left the company. In an undated press release, Kraton said the leadership of the company will be assumed by business presidents Prakash Kolluri (polymers) and Minco van Breevoort (pine chemicals), who will report directly to Kraton’s board of directors. Kraton did not provide further details on Boldrini’s departure or whether a permanent successor will be appointed.

French distributor Safic-Alcan has appointed Victor Zubb as VP Americas. The newly created senior role reflects how “the Americas become an increasingly strategic pillar” of the company's global business. Safic-Alcan has recently expanded in Latin America and North America. In 2022, it acquired Brazilian companies Sarfam and Proquimil, and since purchased Anders Quimica: expanding its footprint into Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Michelin has announced that Maria Paz Robina will step down as country director and president of Michelin Spain Portugal in April 2026 after 38 years with the group, to be succeeded by Cesar Monux. Robina has led Michelin Spain Portugal since 2019 and previously held senior roles across manufacturing, quality and human resources, including managing plants in Aranda de Duero and Vitoria Gasteiz. Monux, who joined Michelin in 2002, has managed several group plants in Spain and Brazil and is currently part of the European manufacturing management team based in Clermont-Ferrand.

Synthomer plc said independent non-executive directors Ian Tyler and Roberto Gualdoni have stepped down from the board, as previously announced. Janet Ashdown has been appointed senior independent director, succeeding Tyler, while Jonathan Silver has been named chair of the audit committee.

Semperit AG has extended the term of chief industrial officer Gerfried Eder ahead of schedule for a period of three years until 30 June 2029. Eder has been with the company since 2000, has Semperit’s CIO since July 2023. In this role, he is responsible for the Industrial Applications (SIA) division, which includes hydraulic and industrial hoses and profiles. His area of responsibility also covers commercial excellence, R&D, supply chain, procurement as well as occupational safety, environment, and quality.

US off-road tire and wheel maker Titan International announced a management reshuffle involving the new position ‘chief transformation officer’, to be filled by former finance chief David Martin. Martin will “lead enterprise-wide transformation” and will oversee alignment of information technology, including acceleration of AI adoption, along with human capital and risk management functions and initiatives. Tony Eheli, formerly VP and chief accounting officer, replaces Martin as SVP and CFO. Eheli will be succeeded by Jim Pach, formerly corporate controller.

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