ArvinMeritor’s Pennington named industry’s top communicator

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — One of the heavy-duty trucking industry’s most well known personalities has been honored by the Automotive Public Relations Council as “Communicator of the Year.”

APRC bestowed ArvinMeritor’s director of global marketing communications, Mike Pennington, with the title at the Fall 2006 Conference in Dearborn, Mich.

David Ladd, director of corporate communications for the Americas for Siemens VDO, was named co-recipient.

As the long-time senior industry relations executive for ArvinMeritor’s Commercial Vehicle Systems, Pennington is responsible for strategic marketing communications initiatives around the world, which includes media relations and publicity, speechwriting, advertising, trade shows and exhibits, sales promotion and collateral materials.

The Automotive Public Relations Council (APRC) created the APRC Communicator of the Year award to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of these industry professionals.

This prestigious award was open to any public relations/communications executive of a supplier in the original equipment, aftermarket or heavy-duty industries. The award also was open to all supplier communicators in the light and heavy vehicle industry.

The APRC is a professional peer group of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).