Goodyear Names Roger Wood Interim CEO

Image: AI-generated illustration for Gearvoniq

Goodyear has a new interim chief executive. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced on Monday 9 November 2026 that board director Roger Wood has been appointed interim chief executive officer, effective immediately, following the departure of Mark Stewart as chief executive, president and board member. It marks the start of a fresh leadership chapter for one of the world's best-known tyre makers.

A change at the top of a tyre company might sound like boardroom news with little bearing on everyday motoring. In practice, it matters more than it first appears. Tyres are the only part of a car that touches the road, and they shape braking distances, wet-weather grip, road noise, fuel use and, for electric cars, driving range.

The filing itself is measured and factual. It confirms the appointment, sets out Wood's background, and points to a search for a permanent successor. It also confirms that a strategic review already under way will continue. What it does not do is explain why Stewart left. The filing gave no reason for the departure, and this article does not speculate on one.

Key Takeaways

Roger Wood, a Goodyear board director since 2023, is now interim CEO with immediate effect. Mark Stewart has left as CEO, president and board member. The board is searching for a permanent successor with a leading executive search firm. A strategic review focused on performance, business mix and investment in new products is continuing. Jerome Rouquet joins as chief financial officer on 1 December 2026.

What the Filing Says

Goodyear filed an 8-K with regulators on Monday 9 November 2026. An 8-K is the form American listed companies use to report material events to investors, and a change of chief executive is exactly the kind of event it is designed to capture. The filing announced that Roger Wood had been appointed interim chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Stewart's departure covers all three of his roles. He is no longer chief executive, no longer president, and no longer a member of the board. The filing did not give a reason for his departure, and readers should treat the reason as unknown rather than filling the gap with guesswork.

Wood's appointment is explicitly interim. The board has chosen a safe pair of hands to lead the company now, while it looks for a permanent chief executive. The board said it is conducting a search for a permanent successor with a leading executive search firm. No timetable was given for that search, and no candidates were named.

The company also said it does not intend to provide further updates unless the board determines that additional disclosure is appropriate or required. In plain terms, investors and the public should not expect a running commentary. The next formal news is likely to come when a permanent chief executive is chosen.

Board Chair Joe Hinrichs framed the change as a moment to push forward. He said that the board believes this is the right moment to transition leadership to accelerate that progress and capture additional opportunity.

Image: AI-generated illustration for Gearvoniq

Who Is Roger Wood?

Roger Wood is not an outsider parachuted in to steady the ship. He has served on Goodyear's board since 2023, which means he already knows the company's strategy, its finances and its senior team. That familiarity is one reason boards often turn to an existing director for an interim role: the new leader does not need months to learn how the business works.

Wood brings more than three decades of leadership experience in the automotive and manufacturing industries. That is a long career spent in the sectors Goodyear serves, from car makers and their suppliers to the industrial customers who buy tyres for trucks and farm machinery.

Before joining Goodyear's board, Wood was co-chief executive officer of Tenneco Inc., the automotive components supplier. Tenneco makes parts that sit close to Goodyear's world, including exhaust systems and suspension components that car makers fit alongside tyres. Wood also serves on the boards of PHINIA Incorporated and Brunswick Corporation, and he stepped down as chair of the board's human capital and compensation committee in connection with the appointment, a standard governance step that removes a potential conflict of interest.

The Strategic Review and What It Could Mean

Alongside the leadership change, the filing confirmed that a strategic review is under way. A special committee of the board, formed earlier this year, is conducting the review. Its focus is identifying opportunities to strengthen performance and drive shareholder value, including optimising the business mix and footprint, improving efficiency and investing in new products and capabilities.

Those phrases hint at the choices facing the new interim chief executive. Optimising the business mix means deciding which product lines and markets deserve the most attention and investment. Optimising the footprint means looking at where factories and operations are located. Improving efficiency means cutting waste and cost without cutting quality. Investing in new products means developing tyres for the cars of the future, not just the cars of today.

The board is working with an Enterprise Transformation Office on this work, a small internal team set up to drive a change programme across a company. Its involvement suggests the review is a structured effort with people assigned to carry it through, not a paper exercise.

For car buyers, the practical consequences of a review like this are indirect but real. A tyre maker that invests in new products may bring out tyres designed for heavier electric cars, for quieter cabins, or for longer life. None of that is guaranteed, and the filing makes no promises about specific products. But the direction of travel is clear: Goodyear's board wants a leaner, more focused company that can invest where it matters most.

Image: AI-generated illustration for Gearvoniq

The Incoming Chief Financial Officer

The leadership change at the top is not the only senior appointment in motion at Goodyear. Jerome Rouquet joins as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective 1 December 2026. He succeeds interim chief financial officer Scott Deakin, who will support a seamless transition.

Rouquet is currently chief financial officer of Visteon Corporation, an automotive supplier that makes cockpit electronics and displays for car makers. That background gives him direct experience of the car industry's finances, from managing costs in a competitive supply chain to reporting to investors in a listed company.

Before Visteon, Rouquet held senior finance roles at Tenneco and Federal-Mogul, both well-known names in the automotive supply world. The appointment was announced on 27 October 2026, ahead of the chief executive change, which suggests the board had been working on strengthening the senior team for some time.

What to Watch Next

The first thing to watch is the search for a permanent chief executive. The board said it is working with a leading executive search firm, but it gave no deadline. Searches of this kind can take months, and the board will want to get the choice right. Until a name is announced, Wood leads the company, and the strategic review continues under his direction.

The second thing to watch is what the strategic review produces. The special committee was formed earlier this year, and the filing gives no date for its conclusions. Investors will look for signs of progress in Goodyear's next results announcements. Drivers are unlikely to see immediate changes, but decisions on factories, product lines and investment will shape the tyres available in the years ahead. The third thing to watch is Rouquet's arrival on 1 December 2026, and his early remarks on costs, investment and cash.

Finally, watch for any further disclosure. The company said it does not intend to provide further updates unless the board determines that additional disclosure is appropriate or required.

Image: AI-generated illustration for Gearvoniq

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Goodyear's interim CEO?

Roger Wood, a board director since 2023 and the former co-chief executive of Tenneco, was appointed interim chief executive officer on 9 November 2026, effective immediately.

Why did Mark Stewart leave Goodyear?

The filing did not give a reason for Stewart's departure as chief executive, president and board member. No reason should be assumed until the company says more.

When does the new CFO start?

Jerome Rouquet joins as executive vice president and chief financial officer on 1 December 2026, succeeding interim CFO Scott Deakin. Rouquet is currently CFO of Visteon Corporation.

Conclusion

Goodyear's announcement is short on drama and long on process, and that is probably the point. A familiar board director steps in as interim chief executive, a permanent search begins, a strategic review continues, and a new finance chief arrives in December. The filing gave no reason for Mark Stewart's departure, and it offered no timetable for what comes next. What it did offer is a clear picture of a board trying to steady the company and choose its next permanent leader carefully. For drivers, the effects will arrive gradually, in the tyres fitted to new cars and sold in shops.

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