NASHVILLE, Tenn. – September 30, 2024 – Bridgestone Corporation (“Bridgestone”) today announced several structural and executive leadership changes, including a change in leadership of its West region that encompasses Bridgestone Americas (BSAM) and Bridgestone Europe, Middle East and Africa (BSEMEA).
Effective October 31, 2024, Paolo Ferrari will transition out of his executive roles as Joint Global Chief Operating Officer, Global Chief Digital Transformation Officer, and Executive Officer of Bridgestone Corporation; Chief Executive Officer, Bridgestone West; Executive Chairman and Group President, Bridgestone Americas; and Chair of the Bridgestone EMEA (BSEMEA) Supervisory Board. To facilitate a smooth transition, Ferrari will serve as an advisor to the company until December 31, 2024, at which time he will leave the company to pursue other opportunities. Ferrari joined Bridgestone in 2016 as President and CEO of BSEMEA before becoming President and CEO of Bridgestone Americas in January 2020. After navigating and managing through unprecedented challenges and changes in each region, his role later expanded as the West CEO, taking on leadership responsibility for both.
Scott Damon will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer, Bridgestone West; Group President, Bridgestone Americas; and Global Chief Digital Transformation Officer effective November 1, 2024. Scott is currently Vice President and Senior Officer of Bridgestone Corporation; Group President, Bridgestone West Mobility Solutions (BMS); and Member of the Bridgestone Americas (BSAM) Board. The Joint Global Chief Operating Officer role is being discontinued and replaced by a group of Executive Vice President roles as shared earlier today in the Bridgestone Corporation announcement. The respective Chairs of the BSAM Board of Directors and BSEMEA Supervisory Board will be named and communicated between now and the end of October.
Ferrari has been a visionary leader who has been deeply involved in shaping and executing our strategy for the future and whose inspiring leadership has been deeply appreciated by teammates across the West.
"On behalf of the Bridgestone Global leadership team and our teammates worldwide, I want to share our sincere gratitude to Paolo for his leadership and contributions to Bridgestone Globally and in the West, as he has been a key member of the Global Executive Committee of Bridgestone Corporation for several years. We wish him the greatest success in the future," said Bridgestone Global CEO Shuichi Ishibashi.
"I have worked with Scott for many years and have been continuously impressed with the depth and breadth of his knowledge of industries, products, and operations," Ishibashi continued. "His expertise and experience in our industry, particularly in the commercial solutions, and understanding of customer pain points that leads to customer success will be instrumental in our next stage. Moreover, he is a strong leader rooted in Bridgestone DNA, such as Genbutsu-Genba approach of ‘Respect for being on-site' and the implementation of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. I am 100% supportive of Scott and confident that he is the right leader who will fully turn around BSAM and the West business, overcoming its current challenges. Scott also has a proven track record of developing exceptional talent and teams that will support our further value creation as Global Bridgestone.”
