Ryan Patterson to lead Goodyear-Cooper integration efforts

AKRON—Bringing Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. into the Goodyear family is no small task, but the Akron-based tire maker believes it has found the right person to lead the initiative.

Goodyear has selected Ryan Patterson for the position of senior vice president of business integration, a move that is effective immediately.

Richard Kramer, Goodyear chairman, CEO and president, said Patterson has both the depth and experience "to lead the integration of our acquisition of Cooper Tire to maximize benefits for our shareholders, customers, consumers and associates."

Patterson's success in previous roles—as president of Goodyear Asia Pacific and president of Goodyear's North America Consumer business—lay the foundation for the tasks ahead. His accomplishments include assisting in the development of the company's consumer strategy and its focus on high-value segments; implementation of the company's aligned distribution model in North America; and the launch of Goodyear.com, which helps drive e-commerce sales for distributors and dealers.

Patterson also has worked in several roles of increasing responsibility in Latin America since joining the company in 2002.

"Ryan is a market-back leader with broad, global perspective," Kramer said. "From his leadership roles in Asia, North America and Latin America, he understands all aspects of our business end-to-end, including manufacturing, is deeply familiar with our customers and has served as the lead architect for some of Goodyear's core go-to-market strategies."

Nathaniel Madarang, managing director of Goodyear China, succeeds Patterson as president of Goodyear Asia Pacific. The move carries significance because, as part of its proposed $2.5 billion acquisition of Cooper Tire, Goodyear would take over two tire manufacturing plants in China, nearly doubling its presence there.

"The China market remains a high priority for Goodyear," Kramer said, "and Nat is extremely well-positioned to drive growth there and throughout the region."

Madarang, who has has been with Goodyear since 2008, formerly was vice president of finance for Goodyear's Asia Pacific business, and prior to that, vice president of Goodyear's China Consumer business and finance director for Goodyear China.

"Nat is a customer-focused leader with deep knowledge of the Asia Pacific region and the tire industry," Kramer said. "As the senior leader of our business in China, Nat has been instrumental in reshaping our distribution in this important market and in designing and launching Goodyear's direct-to-retail business model."