Pressure’s On: Goodyear Tire Chairman Lays Succession Plans
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s chairman formally laid the foundation for leadership succession Monday.
Stanley Gault said Sam Gibara, executive vice president for the North American tire division, will replace Hoyt Wells as president and chief executive, putting Gibara in line to succeed Gault as chairman.
Gibara, who has a master’s in international business from Harvard, has been well prepared to assume operational control of the tire maker, Gault said: “He has the vision and the strategic planning qualities required.”
Gibara, a 29-year veteran of the industry, is multilingual and understands all of the factors affecting the tire maker’s international operations, Gault said.
* Mattel Inc. said it has expanded the duties of its president and chief operating officer, Jill Barad, to include worldwide manufacturing.
In her new capacity, Barad has responsibility for all operating divisions at the world’s largest toy manufacturer, putting her firmly in place to eventually succeed Chairman and Chief Executive John Amerman, who is 63. Amerman hasn’t set a retirement date.
Mattel also said it has appointed Byron Davis president and chief executive of its Fisher-Price subsidiary. Davis succeeds James Eskridge, who was promoted to group president for Mattel and Fisher-Price at Mattel’s El Segundo headquarters.
* GTE has named M.L. (Red) Keith Jr. president of GTE’s Thousand Oaks-based California region, the company’s largest local-telephone service region. He replaces C. Michael Crawford, who was named vice president of network operations support for GTE Telephone Operations.
* Woolworth Corp. said Edgar J. Swain, president and chief executive of its F.W. Woolworth Co. unit, will retire effective May 1, 1995. The company expects to name a successor to Swain shortly. The company said Swain had been with Woolworth for 41 years.
