Apollo Tyres appoints new Sales Manager in France
Apollo Tyres has appointed Olivier Pataud as its new Country Sales Manager in France. He succeeds Francois Hien, who becomes the company’s new head of Customer Experience Projects operating across all of the company’s product groups in France.
Pataud joined Apollo Tyres last year as a Key Account Manager for the Passenger Car Tyre division, and his understanding of the French market has allowed him raise the profile of Apollo- and Vredestein-branded products across the passenger car, off-highway and truck and bus radial tyre divisions.
With almost 30 years of experience in the tyre industry, Pataud has latterly held managerial positions with a focus on commercial development and distribution. Prior to joining Apollo Tyres, he was the Commercial Director of Groupe MPSA for 21 years, a family-owned business that specialises in the tyre and automotive maintenance industry.
As the new Country Sales Manager for France, Pataud will report directly to Domenico Gatti, Cluster Director for South West Europe.
“I’m honoured to take the next step in my career and lead such an exciting part of the Apollo Tyre organisation,” says Pataud. “I wish Francois all the best in his new role and will strive to build on the success he has achieved for the business over so many years.”
“In just a short time, Olivier has proven himself to be an extremely valuable asset to the Apollo Tyres family,” adds Gatti. “He brings a considerable amount of experience and value to our sales operation and I have no doubt that he will play an important role in helping us meet our ambitious growth targets in the region.”
After almost 15 years as Country Sales Manager for Apollo Tyres, Hien will take on a new assignment leading customer experience projects for France. In time, his role will expand to other countries across Europe. Prior to Apollo Tyres, Hien held several positions in senior sales roles, including four years at PROVAC in France and eight years at Océ in France and the Netherlands.