FINDLAY, Ohio—Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. has named Brad Hughes president of International Operations and Hal Miller as executive adviser to the CEO, effective July 2.
Mr. Hughes, who was serving as Cooper's chief financial officer, will be responsible for leading all of the tire maker's operations outside of the Americas, including its growth plans for Asia and Europe. Cooper said Mr. Hughes will continue to serve as CFO in addition to his new position while the company conducts an executive search for his successor.
He joined Cooper in 2009 as vice president and CFO. Formerly a 23-year employee of Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich., Mr. Hughes previously worked in Dearborn as global product development controller for the auto maker; as finance director for Ford's South America Operations in Sao Paulo; as director of European Business Strategy and Implementation in Cologne, Germany; as European Manufacturing Controller, also in Cologne; and in other corporate finance and treasury positions.
Before joining Ford, Cooper said Mr. Hughes worked for Fruehauf Finance Corp., in Detroit.
He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and earned a master's degree in business administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan Business School, Ann Arbor, Mich.
In his new role Mr. Miller, who previously served as Cooper's president—International Tire Division, will assist the company in determining the future ownership of the Cooper Chenghsan (Shandong) Tire Co. Ltd. (CCT) joint venture in China, as well as continue to support international segment growth plans and help to assure an orderly transition to Mr. Hughes' leadership.
Mr. Miller joined Cooper in 2002 as vice president, corporate planning and control, and was named president of the International Tire Division in 2004, the Findlay-based tire maker said.
Prior to joining Cooper, he served for 16 years with Eaton Corp. in Toledo, Ohio, where his most recent position was vice president and general manager for the fluid power hose and plastic operation.
Mr. Miller previously held positions for 10 years in public accounting and has mergers and acquisitions experience.
A certified public accountant since 1975, he earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, and holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.
“Cooper's international segment has grown rapidly, and we plan to continue to drive profitable sales, ultimately positioning our international business to deliver half of Cooper's total global revenues,” Chairman, CEO and President Roy Armes said.
As CFO, Mr. Hughes “has been highly involved” in the global business operations for the past five years “leading teams in Asia and Europe, as well as North America,” Mr. Armes said.
“He is well positioned to take on leadership of our international operations as Hal transitions to his new role. Hal has done a tremendous job over the past decade growing our international sales to $1.2 billion with solid profitability.
“He has established a firm foundation and a track record of success, and he will continue to be involved in helping to assure that we maintain our momentum in this important part of our business.”