Shigeo Watanabe
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined the company in March 1965 and was sent to Bridgestone/Firestone in the U.S. in January 1983 and to Bridgestone/Firestone in Europe in December 1988. After returning he served as head of the Quality Assurance Division from March 1993, Director and head of Tire Development Division 2 from March 1994, Managing Director and head of Tire Development Division 1 from March 1997, and Senior Managing Director in charge of tire development from April 1998. He was an engineer who worked in quality assurance and tire development.
Selection
In March 2001 he became Representative Director, President and CEO, succeeding Yoichiro Kaizaki. The previous August a voluntary recall of 6.5 million Firestone tires had been decided, and losses related to the voluntary product recall reached ¥161.7 billion over two years, combining ¥81.4 billion in the fiscal year ended December 2000 and FY ended December 2001. While sales and profit figures reached headquarters, information about lawsuits and accidents had not, and a system that left risk management to the subsidiary was being called into question. The appointment appears to have valued his background as head of the Quality Assurance Division.
Initiatives
In December 2001 the company split Bridgestone/Firestone into separate companies by business line under a holding company overseeing the Americas, separating functions such as manufacturing, retail and raw materials. In China it set up Bridgestone (Wuxi) Tire Co., Ltd. in February 2003 to produce passenger car tires, and established Bridgestone (China) Investment Co., Ltd. in October 2004. In July 2005 it set up Bridgestone Tatabanya in Hungary, and that August acquired Goodyear Sumatra Plantations in Indonesia, gaining its own source of natural rubber.
Career
Career
Bridgestone
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Mar 1965 | Joined |
| Jan 1983 | Dispatched to U.S. Bridgestone, Faiasuton |
| Dec 1988 | Dispatched to Europe Bridgestone, Faiasuton |
| Mar 1993 | General Manager, Quality Assurance Headquarters |
| Mar 1994 | Director, General Manager, Tire Development 2 Headquarters |
| Mar 1997 | Managing Director, General Manager, Tire Development 1 Headquarters |
| Apr 1998 | Senior Managing Director, in charge of Tire Development |
| Mar 2001 | Representative Director, President and CEO |
| Mar 2006 | Stepped down as President |