Continental Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket, a supplier of OE-engineered aftermarket replacement parts for a wide range of automotive applications, announced it has named Howard Laster as head of Aftermarket – NAFTA Continental Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket.
Laster is responsible for overall business strategy, product quality and performance, as well as development of effective sales and marketing activities in North America for the Continental and VDO brand of products sold to the automotive aftermarket.
The announcement was made by Jerry Gabbard, Vice President and General Manager, Continental Commercial Vehicles & Aftermarket-NAFTA, who noted, “Howard Laster has made a substantial contribution to the growth and success of our organization. This promotion reflects the outstanding leadership and performance he has demonstrated in the variety of challenging sales and marketing management roles he has tackled during his 19-year career with the company. We look forward to his continued leadership and guidance.”
In his new role as Head of the Aftermarket, Laster is also charged with leading the company’s product management team, which is organized into three product marketing teams. Team leaders for the product groups include: Steve Landis, TPMS Replacement Parts and Automotive Electronic Innovations; Dan Caciolo, Engine Management, Fuel Supply and Brake Systems; and Dave Maclay, HVAC, Door Systems, New Product Introductions & Cataloging.
Additionally, Laster is responsible for guiding the Diagnostics & Services Business Team in the development of business with the automotive OEMs, commercial and specialty vehicle target markets as well as aftermarket innovations.