COLUMBUS, Ind. -- Cummins has named Thad Ewald as its new vice president of corporate strategy and business development. With the appointment, which was effective Aug. 1, Ewald also became a corporate officer.

Ewald first came to Cummins as a summer intern in 1999 while working on his MBA at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Joining the company full time in 2001, he became the director of marketing for the Americas for Power Generation in Fridley, Minn. During his time there he helped lead the Power Electronics business through a turn-around and into significant and profitable growth.

While Ewald was with the Power Electronic Business, he also served as managing director of the former SEG subsidiary, leading that business through a restructuring and then divesting it in late 2006. In 2007, he led Power Generation’s global purchasing operations.

In 2008, Ewald was named executive director of Cummins’ newly-created Growth Office at corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ind., with the responsibility of seeking growth opportunities for the company. That role was expanded in January 2009 when he became executive director for corporate strategy and business development and a member of Cummins’ operating leadership team.

Ewald’s promotion to an officer-level position gives his strategy and business development role greater visibility within Cummins. He will continue reporting directly to President and COO Tom Linebarger.

“Cummins has set aggressive profitable growth targets, and it is essential that we put in place high quality strategies to meet these growth targets,” Linebarger said. “In this role, Thad will continue to use his exceptionally strong analytical skills, his knowledge of markets and competitors, and his strategic thinking skills to help the company and each business segment develop robust profitable growth strategies. Thad will also continue to lead the strategy function, ensuring that we have capable, trained people in the strategy group and throughout the company.”

Prior to joining Cummins, Ewald held sales and business development roles at Goodrich and Emerson Electric. In addition to his MBA from Indiana, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio University in 1990.

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