Goodyear names internal hire as new IR lead

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has appointed Christian Gadzinski as its new senior director of investor relations, replacing Nick Mitchell who is moving to strategy and business development.

Gadzinski, who has been with the Akron, Ohio-headquartered tire firm since 2007, comes most recently from a position as director and general manager within Goodyear’s commercial truck tire and service centers. During his time with the company, he has held numerous roles in finance, including in business development and investor relations. In his new role as IR lead, Gadzinski reports to Christina Zamarro, vice president of finance and treasurer.

‘Christian brings a unique perspective to investor relations from his leadership experience at Goodyear in both finance and our North America business,’ says Darren Wells, executive vice president and CFO, in a statement announcing Gadzinski’s appointment. ‘His Goodyear finance experience includes a prior role in investor relations, which – along with his strong communication skills – will make him a valuable resource for the investment community.’

Wells also thanked Mitchell for his ‘contributions to investor relations over the past four years’, congratulating him on his new role ‘supporting Goodyear’s strategy and business development efforts’.

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies, employing around 72,000 people globally with products manufactured at 55 facilities in 23 countries.

It also operates two ‘Innovation Centers’, one at its Ohio headquarters and a second in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, where it says it ‘strive[s] to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.’ Earlier this month it announced the development of a ‘demonstration tire’ produced with 70 percent sustainable materials. In 2020 the company set itself the goal of a 100 percent sustainable-material tire by 2030.

In December 2021, Goodyear announced a set of new climate goals, including its plan to reach net-zero value-chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), as well as its commitment to achieve near-term science-based targets by 2030.

‘As one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, we are committed to doing our part to implement transformative changes that will help protect our planet for future generations and build a more sustainable business for all of our stakeholders,’ said Richard Kramer, chairman, CEO and president in a statement at the time.

The firm, which will publish disclosures aligned with TCFD this year, says it will submit its 2030 and 2050 targets to SBTi for independent validation.