Goodyear names Christopher Helsel as senior vice president, worldwide functions and chief engineering officer

Akron-centered Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (NASDAQ: GT) on Thursday, Feb. 25, named Christopher Helsel senior vice president, worldwide functions and main technologies officer.

Helsel succeeds Jonathan Bellissimo, who is retiring soon after 4 a long time with the firm, in accordance to a information release.

Helsel is currently senior vice president and main technological know-how officer, a position he’s held due to the fact 2017, Goodyear reported. He steps into his new function on March 1, in accordance to a firm spokesman.

“Chris Helsel’s broad vary of ordeals top products innovation, technologies and products industrialization make him excellent to direct Goodyear’s international operations and technology firm,” mentioned Richard J. Kramer, Goodyear chairman, president and CEO, in a assertion. “In addition, his willingness to endorse new wondering and obstacle the position quo will serve our technology and manufacturing initiatives properly as we take Goodyear into the subsequent stage of leadership in a hyper-aggressive field.”

It can be been a major week for Goodyear. The tiremaker announced on Monday, Feb. 22, that it was attaining rival Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., centered in Findlay. The whole offer is valued at $2.8 billion, most of which Goodyear is spending in cash, though it pays the rest in inventory. Having said that, $300 million will go again to Goodyear because which is how substantially income Cooper has, putting the company price of the transaction at $2.5 billion, Goodyear CFO Darren Wells instructed Crain’s this week.

Becoming a member of Goodyear in 1996, Helsel, 55, has labored in a variety of roles of growing leadership tasks, the business reported. He was formerly director of know-how courses at Goodyear’s Innovation Heart in Luxembourg ahead of serving as director, North The us professional and world wide off-freeway technological know-how.

In his most recent role, Helsel oversaw the firm’s force into mobility, or engineering that functions with electrical cars, autonomous cars and related autos.

He acquired his undergraduate diploma in mechanical engineering from Cleveland State University and a master’s diploma from the College of Akron.