Curt Andersson to Lead Goodyear North American Tire Business

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Feb 03, 2010, 09:00 ET

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: GT) today announced that Curt J. Andersson has been named president of the company's North American Tire business unit. Andersson, currently president of Cooper Crouse-Hinds of Syracuse, N.Y., succeeds Richard J. Kramer who was elected Goodyear's chief operating officer in June 2009.

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Andersson, 48, has been president of the Crouse-Hinds division of Cooper Industries, one of Cooper's largest businesses, for the past six years. Prior to Cooper Industries, Andersson was senior vice president of industrial integration for The Timken Company in Canton, Ohio. He also spent six years at General Electric Company in roles of increasing responsibilities in the United States and Mexico, culminating as general manager of the aviation information services business from 1999 until 2000. He will assume his new position with Goodyear on February 16.

"Curt is a well-rounded business leader with a broad set of experiences who has been tested in a host of markets and businesses," said Kramer. "He has built and led successful teams. He also has a tremendous understanding of manufacturing, supply chain and sourcing from his experiences with both GE and Timken. Curt brings a successful track record of leading organic sales growth through strong customer orientation and product innovation."

Goodyear Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert J. Keegan added, "We see Curt as a great fit with our organization and someone who will be able to continue to drive the positive momentum that has been created previously by Rich and his strong North American team."

"I am extremely excited about becoming part of an outstanding leadership team at Goodyear in North America and to be able to provide the leadership and support that will continue the positive momentum of the business," Andersson said. "I've personally spent time with many of the company's key business leaders and came away impressed with their capabilities, their passion and their results."

A 1984 graduate of Northwestern University with a B.S. in electrical engineering, Andersson received his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School in 1989 and started his business career in marketing with IBM Corporation. He also spent five years as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, Inc., and A.T. Kearney, Inc., before joining General Electric in 1994.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs nearly 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 58 facilities in 24 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company