Nokain Tyres plc announced that its board of directors has appointed Ari Lehtoranta as the new CEO and president.
Nokian Tyres says its current CEO and president Kim Gran will continue in his position until Sept. 30, 2014, and will then use his option to retire. Gran has been leading the company since 2000 and will remain on the Nokian board.
Lehtoranta is currently employed by Kone Corp. as executive vice president, Central and North Europe. He will join Nokian Tyres on Sept. 1 and assume his new role on Oct. 1.
“Ari Lehtoranta has strong international management experience and a track record of achieving profitable results together with the organization. I am confident that under his leadership, Nokian Tyres will be continuing to execute the successful strategy of profitable growth,” said Petteri Walldén, chairman of the board of directors.
“At this point I want to thank Kim Gran for his excellent work at Nokian Tyres. During his 14 years on helm Nokian Tyres has become the most profitable tire manufacturer in the world. The owners have witnessed the company’s share value grow tenfold and the excellent profit levels have enabled generous dividend policy.”
“My target, together with the experienced management team, is to continue and write new chapters to the success story of Nokian Tyres,” said Lehtoranta.
“I am confident that we will be able to further develop the business and meet the strategic goals of the company also in the future.”
