Executive Changes At Cat

Caterpillar Inc. announced officer changes intended to further support execution of the company’s enterprise strategy, including an emphasis on services. All changes are effective May 1.

Tom Bluth (above), currently vice president of the Innovation & Technology Development Division (ITDD), will transition to vice president of Legal Aftermarket Support. In this new role, he will lead the legal teams responsible for intellectual property protection and enforcement, as well as the legal purchasing center of excellence. Bluth joined the company as an attorney 24 years ago, has extensive global product development and operations knowledge and has served as the company’s Chief Technology Officer since 2017.

Karl Weiss, currently vice president of the Material Handling & Underground Division (MH&U), will now lead ITDD and serve as chief technology officer (CTO) for the company. Weiss has 30 years of experience in various roles around the world and in 2013 was names president of Cat’s Earthmoving Division. He was named vp of the MH&U division in 2017.

Rob Hoenes has been appointed to succeed Weiss as vice president of MH&U. Hoenes is currently part of the Earthmoving Division, serving as worldwide product manager for the medium track-type tractor product group. He began his career as an engineer and quickly gained increasing responsibility in sales, product development, and dealer and customer interface.