Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. named Luis Ceneviz managing director of its Latin America tire operations, effective March 1.

In his new role, Ceneviz will be responsible for the company’s business throughout Latin America, including Central and South America, as well as Mexico, where Cooper has a sales and marketing organization and participates in a joint venture tire manufacturing operation near Guadalajara. He will report to Brad Hughes, chief operating officer.

Ceneviz comes to Cooper with more than 35 years of tire industry experience, serving as president of the Europe, Sub Sahara Africa and Americas region with Apollo-Vredestein most recently, and as chairman and CEO of Apollo Tyres South Africa Ltd. (Dunlop Tyres) prior to that position.

“Luis is coming to Cooper at an exciting point in our Latin America growth plans,” said Brad Hughes, chief operating officer. “Our strong assets in Mexico, which include a well-established team and manufacturing capability, give Cooper certain advantages that we plan to leverage as we expand our presence in Latin America. We look forward to the market knowledge and expertise Luis will bring as he joins our experienced leaders in Asia, Europe and North America to deliver on our global strategic plan.”