Goodyear Names Rietbergen Director of E-Commerce for Europe

    AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 24 The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
has named George Rietbergen its European director of e-commerce.
    Rietbergen, 37, will be responsible for the world's largest tiremaker's
efforts to utilize Internet technologies to provide European customers with
innovative, high-value products and services and to drive continuous
improvement in internal business processes.
    "I am thrilled to welcome George to Goodyear's e-business team," said
Nathaniel E. Leonard, global director, e-commerce.  "He brings a strong mix of
general business and technology experience.  George will have the opportunity
to commercialize several exciting and high-value initiatives and create new
ventures that capitalize on Goodyear's strategic strengths.
    "In addition to initiating projects for both our European Union and
Eastern Europe, Africa and Middle East business units, he will work with the
rest of Goodyear's e-business group to transfer initiatives from other
business units into the European groups," Leonard added.  "His work at KLM
gives him the skills and perspective to drive this important effort."
    Rietbergen joins Goodyear from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, where he most
recently served as director, e-commerce and commercial development.  He was
responsible for developing KLM's e-business strategy and for managing all of
its worldwide Internet activities.
    At KLM, which Rietbergen joined in 1992, he also held positions that
included marketing manager, Central and Eastern Europe; and executive
secretary, KLM Passenger Division.
    Rietbergen, a native of The Netherlands, has a degree in international
management from The University of Leiden and a master's degree in business
administration from The University of Nijmegen.
    Goodyear is the world's largest tire company.  Headquartered in Akron,
Ohio, the company manufactures tires, engineered rubber products and chemicals
in more than 90 facilities in 28 countries.  It has marketing operations in
almost every country around the world.  Goodyear employs about 100,000 people
worldwide.  For more information about the company, visit http://www.goodyear.com on
the Internet.

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