Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. and its holding company Hankook Tire Worldwide are placing 19 employees in new executive roles effective Jan. 1, 2017, as part of efforts to increase competitiveness in the global top-tier tire market.
The appointments include two new senior vice presidents and two vice presidents. Hankook also announced promotions of one person to senior vice president and 14 people to vice president positions.
The company says the executive appointments are focused on enhancing the role of internal infrastructure and its strategy for the emerging market to strengthen global competitiveness. The appointments are also intended to help the company increase its brand value through proactive culture, which the company defines as a "corporate culture of challenge and innovation, reinforce human resource management, and internal infrastructure organizing the digital realm."
Externally, Hankook says the appointments are aimed accelerating growth of its global top-tier brand by strengthening its global distribution network and expanding into emerging markets, including Asia and Africa.
At the holding company, Kim Yong-Hak and Yoon Soon Gi are new senior vice presidents. Kim Yong-Hak will lead global process innovation planning . Yoon Soon Gi will lead the business infra division. At Hankook Tire Co., Byun Young Seol has been named senior vice president. He will the company's Asia, Pacific, Africa, Middle Eeast corporate marketing and sales division.
In addition to naming new executives, Hankook announced that Lee Soo II and Woo Byung-il will have new roles in the holding company.
Lee Soo Il, chief operating officer for Hankook Chinese operations, will be chief operation officer of the marketing division and corporate management division. The company says he performed a dramatic role in increasing sales growth and enhancing premium brand.
Woo Byung-il, civision director of Hankook Tire global O.E division, will be a chief operation officer of Hankook Tire China headquarters. The company says he brought good results in OE supply expansion including all new BMW 7 series and Porsche.
Hankook says it strengthened its “core role in becoming a global top-tire company that leads the automotive industry” through its new research and development center, the Hankook Technodome. Modern Tire Dealer Senior Editor Joy Kopcha toured the new R&D center in October. For her story, see “Hankook's New Technodome: The Future of R&D Is Now”
