Chris Smith has been appointed as the new managing director of Michelin UK, replacing the retired James Alderman.

Smith, 36, will run the strategy and direction of the UK company, yet will continue on as sales director B2B for both the UK and Republic of Ireland.

He started his career with the company in 2007, gaining B2B experience, including as Truck and Bus marketing director for North Europe.

After receiving the promotion, Smith said: “My absolute focus will be on customer satisfaction, employee engagement and growth.

“Change is the new norm and we need to make sure we are agile enough to take advantage of that.

“We have a strong team at Michelin UK and I’m confident we can deliver significant growth on the back of that.    

“These are exciting times for Michelin Europe North and I’m extremely proud to be Managing Director of the business in the UK and Ireland.

“I fully intend to continue James Alderman’s commitment to the vision and values of the Michelin Group.”

His previous role had him oversee all sales operations across Michelin’s B2B divisions, using his experience with commercial vehicles to leverage maximum opportunities for Michelin in other industries including agriculture and earthmoving.

He will report to the board of Michelin Europe North, a region made up of the UK, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia.

The tyre company’s headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and operates in 170 countries, with more than 125,000 employees.

In 2018 it produced 190 million tyres at its 67 operation tyre production facilities.

It recently revealed how companies could increase their tyre replacement intervals, increasing efficiency savings.

It also suggested that If company fleet drivers were to take better care of their tyres and vehicles, it would benefit both the business and the driver.

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