Major management reshuffle at Bridgestone

Tokyo – Bridgestone Corp. has continued a major top management restructuring with the appointment of current Bridgestone Europe CEO Paolo Ferrari as the new head of Bridgestone Americas. 

Effective 15 Jan 2020, Ferrari will replace Gordon Knapp who is retiring from his position as the CEO of Bridgestone Americas, the Japanese tire & rubber company announced 16 Dec.

Ferrari joined Bridgestone Europe in 2016 having led Pirelli Tire North America between 2011 and 2014. He was also serving as the chairman of Bridgestone Americas since September 2017. 

To facilitate a smooth transition, Knapp will serve as a strategic adviser to the company until 31 March 2020, at which time he will retire. He has served as president and CEO of Bridgestone Americas since 2016.

Bridgestone Corp. CEO and chairman Masaaki Tsuya will assume the role of chairman of the Bridgestone Americas board of directors as of 15 Jan.

Describing him as “a true global executive,” Tsuya said Ferrari brings with him “extensive knowledge of the Americas markets and many different industries.”

With Ferrari’s transition to Bridgestone Americas, Laurent Dartoux will become president and CEO of Bridgestone Europe, Middle East, India, Asia (EMIA), effective 15 Jan.

Currently serving as chief operating officer Bridgestone EMIA, Dartoux has also been promoted to VP and senior officer of Bridgestone Corp., effective 1 Jan. 

Dartoux began his career in brand management and marketing with Proctor & Gamble France and also worked in leadership positions at Eastman Kodak Co. and Hertz Corp. before joining Bridgestone EMEA as SVP of sales and marketing in 2014. He was named chief strategy and marketing officer of Bridgestone EMEA in 2017.

Succeeding Dartoux will be current Bridgestone EMIA chief technology officer and VP Emilio Tiberio, who will take the COO position as of 15 Jan..

Tiberio joined Bridgestone in 1999 and has previously led consumer tire development at Bridgestone EMEA's R&D centre. 

Bridgestone announced a series of changes to its organisational structure on 13 Dec, as part of which Shuichi Ishibashi has been named to succeed CEO Tsuya as of March 2020.