Jaap van Wessum has been appointed general manager of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd.
Van Wessum, who joined Cooper in 2016 as director of sales for Europe, is now responsible for growing the company’s broader businesses.
In addition to Van Wessum’s appointment, Cooper also named Graham Mitchell the sales director for the UK and Western Europe. With the exception of a brief time serving with another organization, Mitchell has been with Cooper since 2003 in a variety of sales positions in Europe. He was named the company’s UK sales director in 2015 and now adds Western Europe to his responsibilities. Mitchell will be responsible for extending the presence and distribution network for Cooper and Avon brands in the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Benelux, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.
The company also appointed Michael Lutz as sales director for Central and Eastern Europe. Lutz has more than 30 years in the tire industry and joined Cooper in January this year. He is tasked with integrating Cooper’s sales operations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and developing the Cooper distribution network in Eastern Europe.
