FINDLAY, Ohio — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has hired Paula Whitesell as senior vice president and chief human resources officer. The appointment goes into effect July 27.
Ms. Whitesell joins Cooper from Chicago's Peapod Digital Labs, a unit of Ahold Delhaize, an international leader in supermarkets and e-commerce, where she served as vice president, human resources. There she was responsible for human resources, communications and customer care.
She also served as vice president of human resources at Peapod, L.L.C., a leading online grocer.
Ms. Whitesell also worked 18 years at Whirlpool Corp., where she most recently served as senior director, global human resources. She also has had roles with Tier 1 automotive industry suppliers, according to Cooper, such as VDO-Siemens and Budd Thyssenkrupp Co.
Ms. Whitesell holds a bachelor's degree in public affairs with special studies in labor relations and a master of business administration degree from Indiana University.
Brad Hughes, Cooper president and CEO, said the tire maker is excited to welcome Ms. Whitesell "as we continue to develop the organizational capabilities and company culture that will help Cooper deliver our strategic plan and help employees grow personally and professionally.
"Our company purpose states that 'everyone deserves to travel through life's journeys with confidence,' and this includes our teams, customers, consumers, and all of our stakeholders. We look forward to Paula helping us live this purpose every day."