Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has appointed Mark Stewart as the new CEO and president of the company, effective Jan. 29. He succeeds Rich Kramer, who announced his retirement in late 2023.
Stewart joins Goodyear from the automaker Stellantis, where he served as a chief operating officer of North America and a member of the company's group executive council, leading a business unit with more than 88,000 employees and more than $90 billion in revenue.
During his tenure, Stewart led the region's electric vehicle (EV) transformation, introducing the first electrified Jeep in the United States market, which remains the number one selling plug-in hybrid EV for three years running, according to Goodyear officials.
Previously, Stewart served as vice president of customer fulfillment at Amazon, serving as the lead executive for customer fulfillment across 200 operations facilities in North America, leading operations, procurement and more.
Before Amazon, Stewart was executive vice president and chief operating officer for ZF TRW Automotive, a role culminating from over two decades of increasing responsibility, starting with plant, production and quality management roles and advancing to lead Tower Automotive's Western Europe business as executive vice president, TRW's North America Passenger Car and Commercial Global Steering business as vice president and general manager and TRW's Asia Pacific business as vice president. Throughout his career, Stewart has overseen diverse manufacturing and fulfillment operations across the globe and has been based in the U.S., Belgium, Germany and China.
On the effective date, Laurette Koellner, independent lead director of Goodyear’s board since 2019, will become non-executive board chair and Stewart will be added to the Goodyear board as a director.
"Following an ongoing and active succession planning process culminating in a comprehensive search, the Board is confident Mark is the ideal CEO for Goodyear as we continue executing against the Goodyear Forward plan,” says Koellner.
“Mark is a seasoned automotive executive and proven operator, with a track record of driving innovation and commercial excellence. He brings the perfect mix of international experience, a history of successfully managing through business cycles and operational expertise, with a deep commitment to building strong, diverse and inclusive teams. We are pleased to welcome a leader of his caliber as we focus on our transformation plan to deliver profitable growth and long-term shareholder value."
"I am honored and humbled to join Goodyear at such a pivotal time in its history,” says Stewart.
“I have deep respect and admiration for everything Rich and the Goodyear team have accomplished together. Goodyear is an iconic company with an unmatched brand, industry-leading innovation and significant opportunity for growth. I am confident that Goodyear Forward is the right strategy to unlock the company's full potential in its next chapter. I look forward to working alongside the talented team around the globe as we drive sustainable and substantial value together."
Kramer will continue to serve Goodyear in an advisory capacity to ensure a smooth transition.
"It has been an honor and privilege to lead this great company during my 14 years as CEO,” says Kramer.
“I am proud of Goodyear's progress and am forever grateful to our associates, our customers and our partners, without whom none of our achievements would have been possible. I look forward to working with Mark through the transition."
Steve McClellan, president of the America business at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., also announced his retirement from the company for 2024.
