Hankook names Brison N.A. president, promotes 2 VPs

NASHVILLE—Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd. has promoted three executives at its North American headquarters, including Curtis Brison who becomes president of Hankook Tire North America.

The company also promoted Robert Williams to senior vice president of truck and bus radial (TBR) sales and Jong Jin (J.J.) Park to vice president of marketing. The company said the moves underscore its "commitment to accelerating growth and innovation."

Brison succeeds Sooil Lee, who remains CEO of Hankook Tire America Corp.

"The North American market is critical to our global business strategy, and Curtis, J.J. and Rob have been instrumental to accelerating our growth," Lee said.

"Curtis has proven his strength as a sales leader with a strong commitment to customer success. Rob has demonstrated success throughout the TBR sector. J.J .has driven marketing strategies that have had a positive impact throughout the region. All are integral members of the team, who will be essential to navigating the years ahead for Hankook throughout North America."

Brison will oversee operations in the U.S. and Canada, leading four departments and direct teams, including the company's Clarksville, Tenn., production plant. He also will oversee the U.S. passenger car and light truck (PCLT) department, which he has overseen since joining Hankook in 2020 after 10 years with Michelin North America Inc.

Brison has been instrumental in driving new product introductions and segment expansions in the U.S., including the All-Weather Kinergy 4S2 and Dynapro XT and Dynapro AT2 Xtreme, the company said.

"Hankook continues to bring the right combination of performance, innovation and quality to the development of our passenger and commercial tire portfolios," Brison said. "I am honored to work with our teams across North America to further drive innovation and success for Hankook and our customers throughout the tire industry."

Williams oversees all TBR tire sales at Hankook, including replacement and OE sales, and will continue to lead the TBR sales team and regional offices as senior vice president. He joined Hankook as senior director of TBR sales in 2019, bringing with him more than three decades of tire industry experience, including extended stints with Goodyear and TCI Tire Centers.

"Williams has a proven track record of success in sales and operations leadership, strategic planning and optimizing profitability," the company said.

Park will oversee five teams as vice president of marketing: marketing strategy, TBR marketing, technical service, America Regional Distribution Centers (RDC), operations, and Canada sales subsidiary. He was marketing director and U.S. sales innovation director and will continue as marketing director in his new role, the company said. Park joined Hankook Tire in 2005.

Bartek Choi, who has been working for Hankook in Nashville for two years, will assume Park's former role as U.S. sales innovation director.

In addition, Yong Sup (Peter) Jung, COO for Hankook Tire America for the past two years, has relocated to Hankook's Asia-Pacific division with a focus on expanding brand recognition and market growth, the company said. He will be based in Jakarta, Indonesia.