Nokian Tyres plc has hired two people outside the industry to join its leadership team in North America.
Betsy Phillips has been hired to serve as associate general counsel. Phillips comes to Nokian Tyres from Nissan North America Inc., where she counseled the company on a variety of topics, including strategic transactions, advertising, dealer network development and regulatory matters.
Phillips is responsible for managing Nokian Tyres’ North American legal affairs in partnership with the company’s headquarters in Nokia, Finland.
Robert Kelley will serve as IT director for Nokian Tyres’ Americas region. Kelley has nearly 20 years of experience managing IT initiatives for global corporations, most recently as senior manager of IT applications and security at Wacker Chemical Corp. in Charleston, Tenn.
Kelley specializes in meeting regional and global IT requirements, supporting internal business process requirements and implementing effective project management solutions.
Phillips and Kelley will support Nokian Tyres’ growing North American presence, which includes construction of a new production facility in Dayton, Tenn. The Dayton factory is the company’s first tire plant in North America and is set to begin producing tires in 2020. The factory, which will employ 400 workers, will produce four million tires annually once it reaches full capacity.
"We are excited to welcome Betsy and Robert to our growing team," said Mark Earl, senior vice president of the Americas. "Both have deep experience in their areas of specialty and will help us pursue our ambitious goals."
More information about Nokian and its products, visit www.nokiantires.com.
