TI Fluid Systems makes several executive appointments

Automotive fluid technology company TI Fluid Systems announced three executive-level appointments on Tuesday, with Hans Dieltjens assuming the role of president and chief executive officer on 1 October.

The FTSE 250 firm said Dieltjens would succeed William Kozyra, who would retire on 1 October and step down from the board of directors.

It said Dieltjens would assume the leadership role at a “strategically-important time” for the company, as it was accelerating its electric vehicle strategy and reinforcing its position as a provider of thermal solutions for the automotive industry.

Hans Dieltjens holds a master's degree in electromechanical engineering with 25 years of automotive experience in Asia, Europe and the Americas.

He joined TI Fluid Systems in 1996, where he gained commercial and operational experience through his divisional leadership positions.

Among his successes, Dieltjens led the global fuel tank and delivery systems division in developing and manufacturing products to enhance vehicle performance and safety while exceeding strict emissions regulations to preserve the environment.

Earlier in the year, he was appointed to the role of chief operating officer in preparation for his ultimate succession to president and CEO.

TI said it was also further expanding its executive committee with the appointment of Stephanie Jett as chief commercial officer, Johannes Helmich as chief technology officer and Mark Sullivan as chief operating officer.

Jett would join the Company on 1 October in the role of chief commercial officer, and would be based at the company's corporate headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

She would bring 20 years of automotive industry experience, having worked in various senior level commercial roles at Valeo, Visteon, Metaldyne, and most recently as global senior vice-president of sales for Autoliv.

Jett would be responsible for sales and commercial activities, which include an increased focus on the company's electric vehicle product portfolio.

Johannes Helmich, meanwhile, joined the company on 1 September as chief technology officer, based at its technology center in Rastatt, Germany.

Helmlich would play a “crucial role” in the design and development of TI’s product portfolio, with a specific focus on accelerating its electric vehicle product development as part of its ‘Fluid Evolution’ strategy.

The company said Helmlich has more than 25 years of engineering experience, having worked in various high-level executive positions at international tier-1 automotive suppliers such as Magna, Brose, Bosch, and Valeo.

Mark Sullivan, finally, was also based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and joined the company earlier in the year from Plastic Omnium Group where he held various positions of increasing responsibility, including global president of its fuel tank business Inergy, and its plastics exteriors business.

During his more than 35 years in the automotive industry, Sullivan had lived and worked in the US, France and Germany, and would be bringing “diverse international experience” as well as a “strong operational focus” to the company, the board said.

“We welcome Stephanie, Johannes and Mark to the team and extend our warmest congratulations to Hans on his promotion to chief executive officer at such an exciting time in our industry,” said TI’s chair Manfred Wennemer.

“These important additions to our executive team will further strengthen the company's ability to execute our electric vehicle strategy, while also enabling us to deliver on our near-term objectives.”

At 1403 BST, shares in TI Fluid Systems were down 0.56% at 265.5p.