Continental Announces Leadership Transition in the Americas with Tansu Işık Named New CEO
Continental has officially announced a significant leadership change for its operations in the Americas. Dr. Jochen Etzel, who has dedicated over 30 years to the company, will retire as of May 1, 2025. Succeeding him will be Tansu Işık, a seasoned executive with more than two decades of international experience within the Continental Group.
Starting from May 2025, Tansu Işık will serve as CEO of Continental Tire the Americas LLC and take over as Head of the Americas Region Replacement Tires Group. In her new role, she will report directly to Christian Koetz, Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG and Head of the Tires Group Sector.
Christian Koetz expressed his appreciation, stating,
“Jochen’s contribution to Continental’s tire operations is immeasurable. On behalf of the entire Tire Group Executive Board, I sincerely thank him for his leadership, commitment, and dedication over the years. We wish him a fulfilling and well-deserved retirement. At the same time, we are excited to welcome Tansu Işık as the new Head of Replacement Tires in the Americas. Her deep tire expertise and strategic mindset make her the ideal leader to drive future success in the region.”
Who is Tansu Işık?
Tansu Işık holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bilkent University (2002) and completed an Executive MBA at Koç University in 2007. She has also completed executive education programs at institutions including INSEAD, Duke University, and Ashridge Business School.
Her career at Continental began in the Istanbul office as a Business Development Specialist. Over the years, she has held various leadership positions in marketing, supply chain, strategy, and key account management across different markets.
Notably, Işık served as Head of Pricing for the EMEA region at Continental‘s global headquarters in Hanover, Germany. She later moved to Shanghai as Director, then Vice President, of Key Account Management (OE) for China and the Asia-Pacific region. In 2017, she returned to EMEA as Head of Marketing for the Replacement Tires segment, and most recently, she has led the Truck Tires business across Southern Europe, along with overseeing retreading and digital solutions.
A Strategic Appointment for the Future
This leadership transition signals Continental’s continued focus on innovation, customer-centric growth, and global strategic alignment. With her proven track record and deep understanding of the tire business across regions, Tansu Işık is expected to further strengthen Continental’s footprint in the competitive Americas market.
