Hella Names Tarabbia to Head Automotive Electronics Division

LIPPSTADT, Germany, March 13 -- Jean-Francois Tarabbia has been named managing director of Hella KGaA Hueck & Company's Automotive Electronics Division and also will join the company's management board.

Tarabbia, 41, previously was chief operating officer of Siemens VDO Automotive AG of Regensburg, Germany and headed that company's body and chassis electronics division. He also was responsible for Siemens' European and Asian vehicle manufacturer business.

He holds a degree in computer science engineering from Universite Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France and a master's of business administration degree from Universite de Science Social, also in Toulouse.

Born in Toulouse, Tarabbia is married and has two children.

Hella, a global supplier, develops and manufactures components and systems for lighting and electronics for the automotive industry. In addition, joint venture companies produce complete vehicle modules, air-conditioning systems and vehicle-electric systems. Hella is one of the world's largest companies selling automotive parts and accessories, with its own sales companies and partners in more than 100 countries. Annual consolidated sales for the Hella Group total $3.7 billion.

Hella is one of the 100 largest industrial companies in Germany. A total of 24,000 people are employed in 65 production facilities, production subsidiaries and joint venture companies. More than 2,900 Hella engineers and technicians work in research and development across the Group. Customers include all leading automakers and system manufacturers, as well as the automotive aftermarket.