FINDLAY, Ohio — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has appointed Christopher Ostrander to president, North America Tire Operations (NATO), effective Jan. 17.

Ostrander, who assumes leadership of NATO from Cooper’s Chairman, President and CEO Roy Armes, will also serve on the company’s executive committee and as an officer of the company.

Ostrander is taking the helm of Cooper’s more than $2 billion North America operations, which produce passenger car and light truck tires, primarily for sale in the U.S. replacement market. This operation’s footprint also includes wholly owned subsidiary, Mickey Thompson, a developer and distributor of specialty and off-road tires.

Ostrander joins Cooper from Eaton Corp., where he was most recently vice president and general manager of the Torque Control Products Division, a position he has held since 2008 and one which was expanded in 2009 to include global sales and marketing responsibility for the Commercial Vehicle and Aftermarket Group for Eaton Automotive. Ostrander joined Eaton in 2004 as director of sales for the Automotive Group, moving to the Mirror Controls Division where he was business unit manager from 2005 to 2006. He expanded his responsibilities in successive moves to multi-business unit manager from 2006 to 2007 and general manager from 2007 to 2008, while running additional Eaton operations, including the Fuel Vapor Division and Performance Products Division.

Prior to joining Eaton, Ostrander held significant leadership roles with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the BOC Group PLC, a multinational manufacturer and distributor of industrial gases. Ostrander joined the Army Corps of Engineers upon his graduation from West Point in 1991 and was honorably discharged as a Captain in 1997. Joining the BOC Group in 1998, he advanced to vice president of sales and marketing for its distribution network before joining Eaton.

In announcing Ostrander’s decision to join the Cooper team, Armes said, "I am pleased to announce Chris’ appointment to our executive team. His energy, talent and outstanding leadership experience will be invaluable in helping us achieve our growth initiatives and strategic objectives."

In addition to a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy, Ostrander holds an M.S. degree in engineering management from the University of Missouri at Rolla, and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.