Jochen Etzel will take over as CEO of Continental Tire the Americas LLC (CTA) effective July 1, 2011.
He will replace Matthias Schoenberg, who was previously named global head of ContiTech’s Fluid Technology business unit (see "Continental's Schoenberg gets global promotion").
Etzel joined the company as a lawyer in Continental’s corporate law department nearly 20 years ago. A few years later, he took over the financial manager position of the International business unit, which was responsible for developing Continental’s tire business in regions outside of Europe and the NAFTA region.
Additionally, he was involved in the negotiation and implementation of technology license agreements.
“His deep knowledge of the international tire business and outstanding accomplishment in successfully developing our company make him an ideal choice to lead the CTA team," says Nikolai Setzer, executive board member and head of the Passenger and Light Truck Tires (PLT) business unit for Continental AG.
"I look forward to the challenge of continuing to lead CTA to further volume growth, as well as significant new product launches,” adds Etzel, who will relocate from Continental AG’s headquarters in Hanover, Germany, to CTA's headquarters in Fort Mill, S.C.
