Hankook Tire today announced executive promotions at its North American headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. Rob Williams has been named president of Hankook Tire America Corp. Additionally, Jong Jin (JJ) Park has been promoted to vice president of USA PC/LT Sales. Intae (Ted) Choi has been promoted to vice president of North American marketing Strategy, and Byoungjoe (Joe) Park has been named vice president of corporate management.
“We are committed to the U.S. and Canada markets, and Rob, JJ and Ted have all contributed greatly to our growth in the region,” said Sooil Lee, CEO of Hankook Tire & Technology. “Rob is a strong and versatile leader with expertise across many segments in the tire industry. JJ’s success in marketing strategy will be key to further success in our sales organization. Ted’s knowledge of our products will prove essential to our marketing efforts. Joe brings a strong audit and accounting background to the team. As we accelerate our global business strategy, we look forward to seeing the positive impact they have in the years ahead.”
Williams has overall responsibility for Hankook Tire America Corp. as president, overseeing the U.S. and Canada regions. He will lead four departments and direct teams including the Tennessee Plant and TBR sales department, a role he’s held since joining Hankook in January 2019. In June 2022, Williams was appointed senior vice president of commercial and consumer sales for Hankook Tire America, adding leadership in consumer products to his existing oversight of commercial replacement and OE product sales and related services.
Williams brings more than three decades of tire industry experience and has a proven track record of success in sales and operations executive leadership positions, strategic planning and optimizing profitability.
“This is an exciting time for Hankook in the U.S. and Canadian markets as we continue to drive innovation across our passenger and commercial tire portfolios,” said Williams. “2022 has been a landmark year for Hankook in the U.S., with the announcement of further investment in our Tennessee Plant and the launch of iON, Hankook’s electric vehicle tire line. I am proud to continue to work with our teams to deliver performance, innovation and quality to driver and our partners, and look forward to the future as we continue to demonstrate the value of the Hankook brand.”
Park will serve as vice president of USA PC/LT sales, overseeing sales innovation, corporate sales, as well as the North, South, and West Regional USA PC/LT Sales teams. Previously, he has served as vice president of marketing and U.S. sales innovation director for Hankook Tire America. Park joined Hankook Tire in 2004 and has experience across the American and United Kingdom regions.
Choi steps into the vice president of marketing role, responsible for marketing strategy, TBR marketing, technical services, Canada Sales, as well as supply chain & logistics operations. He also will continue his role as vice president of Tennessee Plant Management Support. Choi has previously held executive positions with Hankook including vice president of its Australia subsidiary, vice president of GAIA Project, and corporate strategy & innovation team manager.
Park was promoted to vice president of the North America Corporate Management Team overseeing finance, accounting, tax and internal audit functions for Hankook Tire America Corp. as well as for Hankook Tire’s Canadian subsidiary. Most recently, he served as Tennessee Plant corporate management team manager. He also held leadership positions at Hankook’s Global Headquarters on its Internal Audit and Accounting teams.
