(Image courtesy of Continental Tires)

Continental Tires, which has its U.S. headquarters in Fort Mill, has announced the retirement of Jochen Etzel, chief executive officer of Continental Tire the Americas, LLC, effective May 1, 2025.

Tansu Işık will succeed him in this role and will be the new head of Continental’s Business Area Replacement Tires the Americas. He will report directly to Christian Koetz, executive board member of Continental and head of Continental Tires.

Etzel has been a cornerstone of Continental’s tire business in the Americas, serving in this capacity since 2011. He has played an important role in uniting the various Continental tire activities in the region and further strengthening their competitive position.

Etzel started his career as a lawyer in Continental’s corporate law department. He then took over a financial manager position, responsible for developing the company’s tire business in regions outside of Europe, before leading Continental’s corporate Mergers and Acquisitions team.

“Jochen’s impact on Continental’s tire business has been immeasurable. On behalf of the entire Tires Board, I want to sincerely thank him for his leadership, dedication, and contributions throughout his tenure. We wish him a well-deserved and fulfilling retirement,” said Christian Koetz.

“At the same time, we are excited to welcome Tansu Işık into his new role as head of our Business Area Replacement Tires the Americas. With his deep tires expertise and strategic insight, he is perfectly equipped to build on our success and lead our tire business in the Americas into the future.”

Işık brings more than 20 years of international experience in a wide variety of markets and functions within Continental’s tires business, including marketing, supply chain, strategy, and key account management. He began his career as a business development specialist in Istanbul, Turkey.