Beginning with the New Year, Dr. Andreas Esser will take over
management of Continental’s commercial vehicle tires division
in Hanover, Germany.
He will report directly to Nikolai Setzer, who oversees the
entity as a company board member.
Esser, 52, is currently responsible for the passenger car and
van tire replacement unit in the Asia/Pacific region.
“Andreas Esser has been part of the management team of the
tire division in Hanover for over ten years. He knows both
the industry and our product portfolio very well,” says
Setzer.
“After five years in a management position in Shanghai, he
also brings along experience from one of the most important
growth regions to his new task. This will be extremely
valuable for our set goals,” he continues.
“Furthermore,” says Setzer, “China, his current location, is
the world’s largest commercial vehicle tire market.”
Esser, who holds a PhD in chemistry, began his career at
Continental in 1989 in research and development. After a
range of management posts in tire development, quality
management and the OEM division in Europe, he gained added
experience at the company’s North American headquarters in
Charlotte, N.C.
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He then became chief of the global car tire OEM unit for six
years. In 2007, Esser moved to the Asian headquarters in
Shanghai, where he was in charge of car and truck tires for
three years.
Following the merger of the passenger car tire and commercial
tire divisions into a single unit, Setzer is managing the
commercial tire division until Esser takes over on Jan.
1.
Esser will then be responsible for more than 8,000 staff
members at ten production and development sites in Europe,
North America, South America and Asia.
For more information, visit www.conti-
online.com.
