BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI — TriMas Corporation, a global manufacturer of engineered and applied products, announced Tuesday the transition of leadership within its Cequent business segment. Tom Benson, president of Cequent Performance Products, will be retiring at the end of April. John Aleva, currently president of Cequent Consumer Products, will succeed Benson and be promoted to the new position of president, Cequent Americas, effective April 28. In this new role, Aleva will lead the Cequent Americas segment, consisting of Cequent Consumer Products and Cequent Performance Products, which, over time, will be integrated. Aleva will report to Mark Zeffiro, group president of Cequent.
It was announced in December 2014 that TriMas is pursuing a tax-free spin-off of 100 percent of its Cequent businesses into a new stand-alone, publicly traded company. The spin transaction is targeted to be completed in mid-2015. Cequent is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of custom-engineered towing, trailer and cargo management products, and other accessories, with a global footprint and a diverse customer base of aftermarket, original equipment manufacturers and suppliers, and retail customers.
“John Aleva is a seasoned operations leader with more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry. We expect John to contribute greatly to the future success of the Cequent Americas business,” said Dave Wathen, president and chief executive officer of TriMas. “Tom Benson has dedicated his career to his business, people and customers, and has been successful in all of these areas. He pushes himself for continuous improvement and sets a great example. All of us at TriMas wish Tom an enjoyable and rewarding retirement, and congratulate John on his promotion.”
“With John’s leadership skills, operational expertise, and strong customer relationships, John is well-positioned to successfully lead Cequent Americas,” said Mark Zeffiro, group president. “John has consistently demonstrated his ability to develop and lead high-performing teams, drive focus on the customer and deliver outstanding results.”
John Aleva was appointed president of Cequent Consumer Products in October 2005. He joined the company as director of integration in 2003, prior to which he worked in the Detroit office of Deloitte Consulting LLP and also held positions at an automotive OEM manufacturer and a Tier 1 supplier. John holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, both degrees from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.
