COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Specialty-tire manufacturer Global Rubber Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. (GRI) has hired tire industry veteran Barry Guildford as global commercial director, effective March 1.
Guildford will lead global sales and marketing at GRI. He brings 22-plus years of tire industry experience to his new job, including 20 plus at Continental.
Most recently he was head of the Northeast Europe sector and head of sales ContiTrade for Continental A.G. There he overhauled the automotive retail network across multiple countries, according to GRI.
His initiatives in electric-vehicle car service diversification, fleet business development and digital fleet management solutions set new standards in the industry, GRI said.
Guildford also oversaw regional marketing strategies, launched digital business solutions and orchestrated brand re-launch initiatives that resulted in significant growth during his time at Continental, the Colombo-based tire maker said.
He also spent close to two years with Pirelli & C. S.p.A. in sales roles in Ireland in 2010-11.
GRI Managing Director Prabhash Subasinghe called his hire "a testament to our commitment to excellence, business innovation and growth. His extensive experience and proven leadership skills make him the ideal candidate to drive GRI's commercial strategy forward."
Guildford said joining GRI "presents an exciting opportunity to leverage my experience and drive meaningful impact for GRI in the global specialty tire market."
He said GRI is "deeply committed to sustainability and green initiatives worldwide. I look forward to leading the commercial team towards new heights of success while advancing our environmental responsibility."
Founded in 2002, GRI produces material handling solid tires, radial agriculture tires and construction tires, using natural rubber to manufacture its high-grade tires. GRI has operations in 13 countries, and sales in more than 70 countries worldwide.
