Nexen Tire announces executive reshuffle as it targets growth

Seoul – Nexen Tire has made a series of executive changes, including the appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO), the Korean group announced 2 Nov.

Effective 1 Dec, the tire maker has appointed John Bosco (Hyeon Suk) Kim as its CEO to help drive the company’s “sustainable growth” and “profit maximisation.”

He takes over the helm from Hyun Jong Lee, who has served as COO since 2019, while Travis Kang will remain actively involved as global CEO and vice chairman, Nexen confirmed to ERJ.

John Bosco Kim has been with Nexen since 1990 and has led sales and marketing operations in Korea, as well as in the Asia-Pacific and European regions.

In particular, Nexen's new CEO has held key responsibilities in the group's global sales division, contributing to brand recognition and revenue growth in Europe.

He earned a special award for export achievement from Nexen in 2018 as well as the 'bronze order of industrial service merit' award from the Korean government.

Since 2021, John Bosco Kim has served as the head of the global OE sales business group, overseeing OE supply and leading the expansion of Nexen’s premium OE supply.

Meanwhile, Nexen said it was promoting ‘next-generation leaders’ who "demonstrated success" in key business areas such as sales, production, and R&D.

These moves include the promotion of Dae Choong Kim to global sales business group leader; Chuljun Kim to global production head; Jongmyoung Kim to head of central R&D; and Bonhyong Goo to head of management administration.

Through these executive appointments, Nexen said it aimed to “further solidify” its competitiveness, and respond quickly to the changing market environment.

The leadership restructure will provide Nexen with an opportunity to take “a significant leap forward,” said Travis Kang, global CEO of Nexen Tire.