Webasto on Monday, June 8, announced the appointment of Dr. Rolf Haag as president and chief executive officer of Webasto Product North America Inc., effective immediately. WPNA is a subsidiary of automotive supplier Webasto AG, based in Stockdorf, near Munich, Germany.

Before moving to WPNA, Haag worked at Feintool US Operations Inc. in Cincinnati, where he held the position of vice president of sales and marketing. Haag has been working for Tier 1 and 2 global automotive suppliers as well as machinery companies in the United States for more than 20 years. He has exceptional experience in sales, distribution and marketing, as well as account and program management, quality and engineering.

“We are very happy to get an acknowledged automotive professional on board,” says Dr. Joachim Damasky, member of the management board of Webasto AG, of which WPNA is a subsidiary. “Rolf Haag’s expertise is needed to further improve the strategic positioning of Webasto in the U.S., including the idle-reducing initiative promoting heating and cooling solutions for the transportation industry. In addition, his clear focus on customer services and quality will help drive further business for Webasto’s engine-off technology.”

Rolf Haag follows Fred Olson, member of the WPNA board of directors and former president and CEO of Webasto Roof Systems Inc. of Rochester Hills, Mich., who has assumed the role of interim president and CEO since mid-October 2008 after former president and CEO Mark Wallace left the company to accept a leadership opportunity with a large publicly-traded company. “We explicitly thank Mr. Olson for his engagement and support by taking over again an operational leadership role for Webasto,” Damasky says.