Curtis Brison leaving Hankook, interim president named

NASHVILLE—After just six months at the helm of Hankook Tire America Corp., President Curtis Brison is stepping down July 1.

Brison has been named vice president of sales, marketing and strategic growth for TireHub L.L.C., a tire distribution joint venture formed between Bridgestone Americas Inc. and Goodyear in 2018.

In the meantime, Sooil Lee, CEO of Hankook Tire & Technology, will oversee the North American operations as interim president.

The North American market, after all, is a critical one for the South Korean-based tire maker. And it is a familiar one for Lee, who himself was president of Hankook Tire America from 2009-12 and also from 2020-21.

Moving forward, Hankook assured that the North American market will remain a top priority for the company.

"The U.S. market is fundamental to our global business strategy, and we are committed to our customers' success," Hankook said in a statement. "Our strong management team will continue to ensure consistent operations during this transition. We thank Curtis for his contributions to Hankook and wish him the best on his next endeavor."

Worldwide, the North American tire market is part of the largest market for Hankook, which noted that the Americas accounted for 38 percent of its overall sales in 2021. North America alone now accounts for 28.5 percent of Hankook's global sales, nearly equal to the emerging Chinese market. China was the second-largest market at 28 percent.

Hankook has touted its commitment to the North American market by pointing to its Clarksville, Tenn., manufacturing facility. The company, in February 2021, said it would invest $85 million to more than double the annual capacity of the 5-year-old facility. The move would bring nearly 10 million passenger and light truck tires when the project is finished in late 2023 or early 2024.

Brison, a former Michelin executive, spent a little more than two years with Hankook, joining the company in 2020 as vice president of sales, U.S. passenger and light truck tires.