ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Aug. 19, 2014) — Continental Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket has promoted Howard Laster, director of product management and new business development, to be head of aftermarket, NAFTA.
In this position, Mr. Laster will be responsible for business strategy, product quality and performance, as well as development of effective sales and marketing activities in North America for the Continental and VDO brand of products sold to the automotive aftermarket.
Mr. Laster has been with Continental for 19 years. In his most recent post, he was instrumental in helping Continental launch its flagship product, the VDO Redi-Sensor multi-application tire pressure monitoring system sensor and establishing the brand as a leading TPMS program in the automotive aftermarket.
“Howard Laster has made a substantial contribution to the growth and success of our organization,” said Jerry Gabbard, vice president and general manager, Continental Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket-NAFTA.
“This promotion reflects the outstanding leadership and performance he has demonstrated in the variety of challenging sales and marketing management roles he has tackled during his 19-year career with the company.”
In his new role Mr. Laster also is charged with leading the company's product management team, which is organized into three product marketing teams—TPMS Replacement Parts and Automotive Electronic Innovations; Engine Management, Fuel Supply and Brake Systems; and HVAC, Door Systems, New Product Introductions & Cataloging.
Additionally, Mr. Laster is responsible for guiding the Diagnostics & Services Business Team in the development of business with the automotive OEMs, commercial and specialty vehicle target markets as well as aftermarket innovations, Conti said.