Goodyear names Patterson to lead Cooper integration efforts

Goodyear has made its first personnel move in the wake of its proposed $2.5 billion acquisition of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., naming Ryan Patterson to lead the integration of the companies.

Mr. Patterson, who was president of the Asia Pacific business unit, will now serve as senior vice president, Business Integration.

Nathaniel Madarang, managing director of Goodyear China, will succeed Patterson as president of Goodyear Asia Pacific. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Goodyear President, CEO and Chairman Richard Kramer said as a senior leader, Mr. Patterson has the depth and experience "to lead the integration of our acquisition of Cooper Tire to maximize benefits for our shareholders, customers, consumers and associates.

"Ryan is a market-back leader with broad, global perspective. 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

He said Mr. Patterson's leadership has helped prepare Mr. Madarang for his new role.

"Nat is a customer-focused leader with deep knowledge of the Asia Pacific region and the tire industry," Mr. 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.

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

As part of the acquisition, Goodyear would take over two Cooper tire manufacturing plants in China, nearly doubling Goodyear's presence there.

Prior to his role in Asia Pacific, Mr. Patterson served as president of Goodyear's North America Consumer business, where he developed the company's consumer strategy and its focus on high-value segments.

Goodyear said he helped implement the company's aligned distribution model in North America, and launched Goodyear.com, driving e-commerce sales for distributors and dealers.

Patterson, a graduate of Brigham Young University, has worked in several roles of increasing responsibility in Latin America since joining the company in 2002.Mr. 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.

He also has worked at Procter & Gamble in China and the ASEAN region.