Roy Armes, chairman, CEO and president of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., has announced his plan to retire, effective Aug. 31.
Consistent with Cooper’s succession plan, the board is expected to elect Bradley Hughes, current chief operating officer (COO), to replace Armes. Thomas Capo, lead independent director, will take over for Hughes as COO.
Armes joined Cooper in 2007 as CEO and president. Approximately a year later, he was appointed to chairman as well.
“I am privileged and honored to have led Cooper for nearly a decade through good times and challenging times, and I continue to be most inspired by the quality and dedication of our people around the globe. Working together, we have led Cooper to many years of strong performance. Brad has been a positive and influential force at Cooper for more than six years now, and he will be tremendously effective at leading Cooper to even greater success in the years to come,” said Armes.
Hughes joined Cooper in November 2009 as vice president and chief financial officer. In 2014, he was named senior vice president and president of internal operations. In 2015, he was appointed to his current role of senior vice president and COO. Prior to joining Cooper, Hughes was a 23-year employee of the Ford Motor Co.
Hughes has a bachelor’s degree in business from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan Business School.
Capo has been a member of Cooper’s board of directors since 2007, and has been lead independent director since 2014. Previously he served as chairman of the board of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group. In addition, Capo worked as senior vice president and treasurer of DaimlerChrysler Corp.
Capo holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance, a master’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in business administration all from the University of Detroit Mercy.
