AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (NASDAQ: GT) was recognized today with the 2014 Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders^® award. This year's winners were selected and ranked by an expert panel of independent judges based on a number of criteria, including strength of leadership practices and culture, examples of leader development on a global scale, alignment of business and leadership strategy, company reputation, business and financial performance.

"Goodyear is honored to be ranked among the best companies for attracting and developing leaders," said Richard J. Kramer, chairman and chief executive officer. "Having 'Top Talent and Teams' is a priority for the company and part of our mission and strategy. The best leaders develop other great leaders and create a culture of collaboration to drive business success and grow our business. This award is further evidence that our strategy is working."

Conducted since 2001, the Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders study is a comprehensive, longitudinal analysis of talent management and leadership practices of organizations around the world. With more than 1,500 data points and more than 300 executive interviews, the 2014 Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders study is the most comprehensive, global research on leadership in the market, examining the link between leadership practices and financial results. The study explores how organizations assess, select, develop, and reward leaders, and examines the execution of leadership practices, as well as the strategy that guides it. 

"In today's complex and unpredictable business landscape, Top Companies for Leaders are passionate about cultivating resilient and engaging leaders who take the time to know and develop their talent and understand what experiences they need to rise above the rest," said Pete Sanborn, Aon Hewitt global talent practice leader. "We congratulate Goodyear on being among a select group of organizations that excel at building and growing a strong leadership environment."

Goodyear is recognized for having complete alignment between its business strategy and global talent strategy and for developing a systematic and process-oriented approach to leadership development through a series of innovative practices.

"We have designed and implemented a world-class Global Talent Management and Leadership Development Process that has resulted in our having a deep bench of great leaders and top talent at all levels of the organization," said Joseph B. Ruocco, Goodyear's senior vice president of Global Human Resources. "These great leaders have guided the company to the best business results in our 115-year history and will continue to help drive growth in the future."

Visit http://www.aon.com/topcompanies-winners for the full list of Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders.

About Goodyear

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 68,000 people and manufactures its products in 50 facilities in 22 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

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SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company