Thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America is growing its sales and marketing division with two new executive appointments.
Christian Eichstaedt has joined thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America as the head of aftermarket sales, NAFTA. In this role, he will report to Steven Beaty, president, aftermarket and motorsports, in matrix with Volker Wegerhoff, head of sales, IAM.
Eichstaedt joins Bilstein with 30 years of experience in the automotive aftermarket. For the past 15 years, he has worked with Interamerican Motor Corp. (IMC), a distributor of OE-quality import replacement parts. He began his career with IMC in July 2003 as the car line manager for Mercedes-Benz/Smart/Sprinter and BMW aftermarket parts programs before being promoted to director of product development for European car lines, where he led a team of five managers through significant organizational changes and achieving profitable growth within a $140 million program.
In addition, Warren Johnson will join thyssenkrupp Bilstein of America as marketing manager, effective Sept. 24. In this role, he will report to Beaty, in matrix with Florian Hagemann, BU head of marketing and motorsports.
As marketing manager, Johnson will be responsible for identifying, planning and managing the organization’s advertising, promotion and publicity activities, to include print, tradeshow, web/multimedia and sponsorships. He will develop and implement both strategic programs and supporting tactics to ensure the profitability of the company’s products, while evaluating the marketing reactions to its programs and packaging.
Johnson joins Bilstein with 30 years of experience in the field of marketing, with the majority of that experience in the powersports industry. For the past year, he has been with EVS-Sports Inc., a leading innovator of motocross and street bike protective gear, where he served as the senior marketing communications director. He has served as a director of
marketing with both Textron Specialized Vehicles and LifeProof/Otterbox, leading teams through product launches, development of digital strategy and the identification of strategic partnerships. Johnson also served as the marketing communications director at Fox Head Inc., where he spent 12 years leading a global marketing and brand strategy across multiple product categories.
