Apollo Tyres appoints new head of its two-wheel tyre operations in Europe

Apollo Tyres has appointed Alexander Mai as the new Cluster Manager for its European Two Wheel Tyre (TWT) division. Mai will succeed Thomas Mittendorff, who steps down from the role at the end of January 2023.

Alexander Mai has over 17 years of experience within the bicycle industry, starting his career as an apprentice at ZEG before moving into sales roles at Pinarello and Wittich in Germany. From 2012, he spent nearly eight years at Lezyne and Reynolds Cycling in the USA, in several sales and marketing management roles across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.

In 2018, Mai joined Apollo Tyres and the Vredestein brand as Sales Manager, responsible for the German, Austrian and Swiss markets. From there, he quickly became an integral part of the business, working with international customers and contributing to product development and strategic sales decisions as Business Development Manager for the TWT division.

Over the past months, Mai has worked closely with Mittendorff and the TWT team on product and commercial strategy, developing his oversight of the team and planning future product launches. In his new role, Mai will report directly to Yves Pouliquen, Group Head Sales and Marketing Europe.

“I feel honoured to be able to take the next step in my career and lead this exciting and growing part of the Apollo Tyres business,” says Mai. “I’m very confident that the excellent TWT team will be able to build upon Thomas´ fantastic achievements, driving the visibility and sales success of our two-wheel business through 2023 and beyond. I want to say a big thank you to Thomas for his support; he has been instrumental in my development at the company.”

Pouliquen adds: “In line with our talent and succession planning strategy, we are very happy to announce Alexander as our new Cluster Manager TWT. We will benefit from his insight and experience in the sector, and help us achieve some ambitious goals in the segment.”

Thomas Mittendorff leaves Apollo Tyres

Following the appointment of Mai as the new Cluster Manager for TWT, Thomas Mittendorff will depart the company to pursue his career outside Apollo Tyres.

Mittendorff spent over 16 years within the business, including six years at the helm of the TWT division. During those years, he significantly improved the quality of Vredestein bicycle tyres, created a new marketing approach and launched innovative products. The latter included the Vredestein Flower Power, the first bicycle tyre in the world produced with natural rubber extracted from the roots of the Russian dandelion, and the Vredestein Cargo, the world’s first dedicated micro-mobility tyre developed specifically for electrically assisted cargo bikes.

Mittendorff adds: “I have no doubt that Alexander will continue the division’s strong growth; I would like to thank him for his support and dedication.”

Pouliquen comments: “Thomas has been with Apollo Tyres for many years, bringing considerable value to our marketing and sales approach. We appreciate his energetic entrepreneurial drive and spirit, which has been essential to our success over the last six years. We wish Thomas all the best and thank him for his enthusiasm, effort and commitment.”