Gates has announced a new management organisation structure for its Automotive Aftermarket business with three newly created senior management positions.

Pierre Souletie  replaces Peter Verdonckt as Vice President Automotive Aftermarket Sales and Marketing EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Pierre has been with Gates since 1996 and moves from Director of Sales & Operations and Distribution for Europe, where he was a driving force behind enhancements in customer service and satisfaction.

Frank Nieuwenhuys, Director of Sales will be relocating to China as Vice President, Automotive Replacement for the APAC Region in August 2015. Gates will also be strengthening its regional approach by organising the European Sales into three new big regions.

Regional Sales Manager Taco Homan has accepted a new job as Regional Sales Director North. The new post gives him additional sales responsibilities in a sales area that now extends from the UK and Ireland across Eastern Europe (including German speaking countries and Benelux). Homan, who joined Gates in 1998, also manages sales in South Africa.

France Regional Sales Manager Patrice Piasentin takes on the new role of Regional Sales Director South. This governs sales in Southern Europe, the Mediterranean countries, Turkey, Middle East and North Africa. Piasentin joined Gates in 2008, successfully managing the French organization in the last years.

Russia and CIS Sales Manager Igor Graf, who joined Gates in 2009, was the architect of a successful distribution model in the CIS countries. He becomes Regional Commercial Manager for those countries.