Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has named Darren Wells executive vice president and chief financial officer.
His appointment is effective Sept. 20, 2018.
Wells, 52, returns to the company he joined in 2002 as vice president and treasurer. He progressed through a series of finance leadership roles and served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for five years from 2008-2013.
Goodyear says Wells was the architect of its capital allocation plan, the freezing and funding of its U.S. pension plans as well as the groundbreaking VEBA (Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association) agreement with the United Steelworkers union for post-retirement healthcare obligations.
Wells later served as president of Goodyear’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business for two years before leaving the company in early 2016. He is currently executive in residence and MBA coach at the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business.
“We are pleased to welcome Darren back to Goodyear,” says Richard Kramer, Goodyear’s chairman, chief executive officer and president. “For more than a decade, he was a key leader on our strategic journey and a valued business partner to me and our senior leadership team. With his deep knowledge of Goodyear, the tire industry and our key markets, Darren will be able to contribute immediately to advancing our priorities along with developing our finance leadership, talent and teams.”
Wells succeeds Laura Thompson, who in June announced her intention to retire in the first quarter of 2019 following a 35-year career with the company.
Goodyear employs about 64,000 people and manufactures its products in 48 facilities in 22 countries around the world. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
