FINDLAY, Ohio — Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has named Dr. Ben Patel as Sr. VP/Chief Technology Officer (CTO), it was announced today. In his new role, Patel is responsible for product planning and development, as well as engineering and technology across all regions. He leads a technology organization that includes a global technical center, and technical centers in Asia, Europe and North America.
Patel is a seasoned technology leader with more than 20 years of experience. He came to Cooper following eight years at Tenneco, Inc., where he most recently served as Sr. VP/chief technology officer. Previously at Tenneco, he served in the Global Clean Air Division as its VP of global R&D, where he helped create new products for global light and commercial vehicle customers to meet environmental and performance standards.
Earlier in his career, Patel worked 12 years at General Electric (GE) in technical roles of increasing responsibility, including as a senior research scientist at GE’s Global Research Center within the Polymer and Chemical Technology Laboratory.
“Ben is an experienced and talented leader,” said Cooper Tire President/CEO Brad Hughes. “He joins a strong technical team that is highly focused on enhancing our products with an emphasis on what consumers want from their tires. Ben will help us get ahead of the curve with products that meet current and future needs in mobility. He brings a strong foundation as a scientist, combined with a demonstrated ability to inspire and lead global teams to success. We are confident he will help take technology at Cooper to the next level.”
Patel received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University and earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Ottawa. He holds 24 U.S. patents, and has been published in more than 12 scientific publications. In 2017, Patel received the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2017 Rising Star Award. He currently serves as a board member of Lincoln Electric, a leading producer of welding products.
About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) is the parent company of a global family of companies that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sale of passenger car, light truck, medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. Cooper’s headquarters is in Findlay, Ohio, with manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design operations within its family of companies located in more than one dozen countries worldwide. For more information on Cooper, visit www.coopertire.com, www.facebook.com/coopertire or www.twitter.com/coopertire.
