Caterpillar announces retirements of long-time officers, appointments and changes
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After more than 35 years with Caterpillar, Steve Fisher, vice president of the Large Power Systems & Growth Markets Division, has elected to retire. Mr. Fisher’s retirement will be effective February 1, 2014.
Mr. Fisher joined Caterpillar in 1978 as an accounting trainee. He held numerous accounting and cost management positions, serving as a business resource manager and cost and business analysis services manager. He was instrumental in mergers and acquisitions activity and in the development of the company’s internal strategic consulting business while in corporate accounting.
He joined the remanufacturing products group as general manager in 2001. Mr. Fisher became a Caterpillar vice president in 2006. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bradley University and is a certified public accountant.
After more than 34 years with Caterpillar, Steve Larson, vice president of the Parts Distribution & Diversified Products Division, has elected to retire. Mr. Larson’s retirement will be effective February 1, 2014.
Mr. Larson joined Caterpillar in 1979 and held a series of positions with growing responsibilities in the areas of accounting, finance and marketing. In 1995 he was named a product/marketing manager in North America Commercial Division, and later held positions as a district manager, product manager for large track-type tractors and regional manager.
In 2003, he moved to Singapore to become a vice president of Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation. In 2007, the Caterpillar Board of Directors appointed Larson a vice president with responsibility for the Logistics Division. Mr. Larson holds a bachelor’s degree in business and an MBA from Western Illinois University.
After more than 41 years with Caterpillar, Bill Rohner, vice president of the Electric Power Division, has elected to retire. Mr. Rohner’s retirement will be effective February 1, 2014.
Mr. Rohner began his Caterpillar career in 1972 and held a number of manufacturing, accounting, business analysis and technical services positions with increasing levels of responsibility. In 1995, he became operations manager for the remanufacturing facility in Corinth, Miss.
He moved to Japan in 1996 as managing director of Shin Caterpillar Mitsubishi, Ltd., returning to the United States in 1998 forleadership positions in the Track-Type Tractors Division and Transmission Business Unit.
In 2000, he became managing director of Caterpillar Brasil Ltd., and in 2004, he was appointed vice president of the Electric Power Division. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Iowa State University and an executive MBA from the University of Illinois.
Choosing from a mix of veteran company leaders and executives with outside expertise and experience, the Board of Directors of the company has appointed four new vice presidents, and the company is also changing responsibilities for other vice presidents.
New Responsibilities for Vice Presidents Tana Utley, Steve Gosselin and Bill Finerty.
Tana Utley, currently vice president of the Industrial Power Systems & Growth Markets Division, will replace Steve Fisher as vice president, Large Power Systems & Growth Markets Division. Ms. Utley’s move to the new position is effective October 1, 2013.
Ms. Utley was first appointed a Caterpillar vice president in 2007, when she was named chief technology officer and vice president of the Technology & Solutions Division. Ms. Utley joined Caterpillar in 1986 as a junior engineer. Over the next 15 years, she held a variety of engineering and management positions with increasing responsibilities throughout the company.
In 2004, Ms. Utley was named to lead the Electronic & Electrical Systems business unit in Caterpillar’s Motion & Power Control Division. She also served as the director of Engine Design, Large Engine Products & Fuel Systems Division.
Ms. Utley holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bradley University and a master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was a Sloan Fellow.
Concurrent with the announcement of Steve Larson’s retirement, Caterpillar is announcing a strategic realignment of the Parts Distribution & Diversified Products Division and the Customer Services Support Division.
As part of this realignment, Caterpillar’s Parts Distribution business will be integrated into the Customer Services Support Division, which is led by Vice President Steve Gosselin.
Since joining Caterpillar in 1979 as a parts and service sales trainee, Mr. Gosselin has held numerous positions in the product support, machine and engine businesses. In 1994, he was named area manager, based in London, responsible for the machinery business in the Northwest quadrant of Europe. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Gosselin served as the North American Distribution Manager for the Engine Products Division.
He was named Regional Manager for the North America Commercial Division (NACD) in 2000. In 2002, he was elected a vice president with responsibility for NACD with accountability for the company’s North American dealer development and machine marketing. In 2006, he was named president of Solar Turbines Incorporated, and in 2010, he assumed his current role with the company.
Bill Finerty, currently vice president of Americas Distribution Services Division, will assume responsibilities for the newly realigned Diversified Products Division, which includes Caterpillar's global paving products, forestry products, defense and federal products, OEM Solutions group, Cat Tunneling, and the industrial and waste group.
In addition, Caterpillar’s on-highway truck group will move from the Customer Services Support Division to become part of the Diversified Products Division. The changes for the Diversified Products Division and the Customer Services Support Division will be effective October 1, 2013.
Mr. Finerty joined Caterpillar in 1984 in the marketing training program as a sales development technician. He then held a series of positions in the United States and Europe with growing responsibilities in the areas of marketing, finance and mining. In 2005, he was named a regional manager for the Americas Distribution Services Division. He was appointed Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the Americas Distribution Services Division in 2011. Mr. Finerty has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southern Illinois University.
Following the announcement that Tana Utley will replace the retiring Steve Fisher as vice president of Caterpillar’s Large Power Systems & Growth Markets Division, Caterpillar’s Board of Directors has appointed Ramin Younessi to replace Ms. Utley as vice president with responsibility for the Industrial Power Systems & Growth Markets Division.
Mr. Younessi most recently spent six years as a group vice president with Navistar. Prior to joining Navistar in 2007, he held a number of senior leadership and executive positions in the United States and Germany with the commercial vehicle division of Daimler AG. Mr. Younessi has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology and master’s degrees in engineering from Syracuse University and the University of Maryland. Younessi will assume his new position effective October 1, 2013.
Following the announcement that Bill Finerty will assume responsibilities for the newly realigned Diversified Products Division, Caterpillar’s Board of Directors has appointed Pablo Koziner, currently east region manager in the Americas Distribution Services Division, as vice president of the Americas Distribution Services Division.
Mr. Koziner joined Caterpillar’s Legal Services Division in 2001 after working for two law firms in New York City. He was promoted twice within the Legal Services Division before moving to a new role in 2005 as a power systems sales manager for Latin America. He then held a series of sales and marketing positions with increasing responsibilities in Mexico and Chile.
In 2009, Mr. Koziner was named district manager for Caterpillar’s Latin America Commercial Division, based in Santiago, Chile. He was promoted to his current role in 2011. Mr. Koziner has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree from Boston College. Koziner will assume his new position effective October 1, 2013.
Following the announcement of Bill Rohner’s retirement, Caterpillar’s Board of Directors has appointed Steve Niehaus to replace Mr. Rohner as vice president with responsibility for the Electric Power Division. Mr. Niehaus is currently the retail general manager for the Electric Power Division.
Mr. Niehaus joined Caterpillar in 1989 following a career with Iowa Southern Utilities. During the first 15 years of his career with Caterpillar, Mr. Niehaus held a series of engine sales, marketing and business development positions with increasing responsibilities, working on four continents. In 2006 he was promoted to commercial manager for the Electric Power Division.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Niehaus was also the product manager for the Cat Branded Product Group within the Electric Power Division, and he served as the business development manager for the Caterpillar Power Generation Systems group. Mr. Niehaus has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Iowa. Niehaus will assume his new position effective October 1, 2013.
To improve the strategic planning process across the company, Caterpillar’s Board of Directors has appointed Mike DeWalt, currently corporate controller, as vice president of the newly created Strategic Services Division.
Mr. DeWalt joined Caterpillar in 1981 as an accountant. Over the next 15 years, he held a series of positions with increasing responsibilities in the accounting and budgeting and forecasting functions. In 1996, Mr. DeWalt was named a senior vice president of Finance and Planning for F.G. Wilson, based in Northern Ireland, and in 1998 became the finance director for the Perkins Engine Company in Peterborough, UK.
In 2004, Mr. DeWalt was named director of strategic investments, leading Caterpillar’s corporate mergers and acquisitions group. In 2005, he was named director of investor relations for Caterpillar and in 2012 was named corporate controller. Mr. DeWalt has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Illinois State University. DeWalt will assume his new position effective October 1, 2013.
Following the announcement that Mike DeWalt has been appointed vice president of the Strategic Services Division, Caterpillar’s Board of Directors has appointed Jill Daugherty, currently group chief financial officer, Energy & Power Systems Division, as corporate controller. In this role, Ms. Daugherty will have responsibility for corporate accounting, forecasting and enterprise cost and business analysis.
Ms. Daugherty joined Caterpillar as an intern in 1990. Upon graduating from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, she was hired as a production accounting clerk. Over the next 10 years, she held a series of positions with increasing responsibility in accounting and business support. In 2002, she was named controller for the Engine Division. ■