Matt Leeper Joins Nokian as VP of Sales

Nokian Tyres Inc. has hired tire industry veteran Matt Leeper as vice president of sales for North America.

Leeper, who joined Nokian on Sept. 1, will work with fellow Nokian Vice President of Sales Tommi Heinonen to oversee the tiremaker's partnerships with customers and sales processes in the U.S. and Canada.

“As we scale our North American operations, we are investing in our executive sales team so we can keep serving customers in an accessible and agile way,” says Nokian's Senior Vice President of North America Chris Ostrander. “Matt’s extensive experience with growing a brand, coupled with Tommi’s vast experience and relationships, provides substantial horsepower as we accelerate our growth goals in the North American market.”

Leeper directed the national sales program at Sumitomo Rubber of North America Inc. (SRNA) before he joined Tire Distributors of Georgia in 2023, where he served as vice president of sales and vendor relations. In his nearly 25 years at SRNA, he moved up from merchanidising representative to leader of the company's U.S. sales operations.

“The Nokian Tyres brand is unique and I’m thankful for the opportunity to help reach our vast potential in the North American market,” says Leeper. “This is an ideal role to capitalize on my experience and relationships in the U.S. market and I am excited to collaborate with colleagues and customers to reach our ambitious growth goals.”

Leeper joined Nokian just as Ostrander has begun his executive role with the tiremaker. Ostrander most recently served on the Nokian board of directors since 2021 and at one time in his three decades had served as president of the Americas at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.