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Bridgestone Americas Press Center

March 6, 2020 Nashville, Tenn.

Bridgestone Americas Announces Leadership Changes to Strengthen Core Tire Business and Accelerate Company’s Focus on Mobility Solutions

Bridgestone Americas Riccardo Cichi, Chris Ripani, Erik Seidel, Eric Higgs, Brian Goldstine, Craig Schneider

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) is announcing leadership changes to strengthen the company’s core tire business and accelerate the company’s journey to become a global leader in mobility solutions. These moves build upon leadership changes previously announced at the Bridgestone Global level and will better align resources to global and local objectives while also prioritizing higher growth opportunities.  

“These strategic leadership changes will enable Bridgestone to continue to successfully meet the needs of our customers in a dynamic and changing world,” said Paolo Ferrari, president, CEO & COO, Bridgestone Americas. “We are taking steps to continue to enhance our core tire business while accelerating our journey to be a leader in advanced and sustainable mobility solutions by leveraging the experience of executives who have proven track records of success in the businesses they will now lead.”

To support the Bridgestone Americas business strategy, the following leadership changes will take effect March 16:

  • Riccardo Cichi, currently chief sales officer for Bridgestone Europe, Middle East, India, & Africa (EMIA), has been named president and chief sales officer North America. In this newly created role, Cichi will lead a consolidated sales organization for the consumer replacement tire business and the commercial truck, bus and retread tire business in the U.S. and Canada. He will also oversee the company’s GCR Tires & Service (GCR) commercial service network. Cichi brings more than 30 years of global tire industry expertise to his new role, including deep tire experience in the U.S. market. Cichi will report to Gabriel Asbun, who is taking on the role of group president, Americas Tire Business, Bridgestone Americas at the end of March.
  • Chris Ripani, currently president of GCR, has been appointed to the expanded role of president, truck, bus and retread tires and GCR. Ripani has been with Bridgestone for nearly 20 years, serving in a variety of strategic sales, marketing and operations roles across the company’s commercial businesses. Ripani will report to Cichi.
  • Erik Seidel will continue in his current role as president, consumer replacement tire sales, U.S. and Canada. Seidel joined Bridgestone in 2014 as vice president of consumer marketing before moving into his current role as president of the consumer replacement tire business. Prior to Bridgestone, Seidel worked at Kimberly-Clark in a variety of marketing leadership roles of increasing responsibility. Seidel will now report to Cichi.
  • Eric Higgs, currently president of truck, bus and retread tires, has been named senior vice president, marketing operations. This new role is being created to help shape the future of the Bridgestone Americas tire and solutions business and create synergies between the marketing and sales organizations. Higgs joined Bridgestone in 2016 as vice president of commercial marketing before moving into his current position. He previously worked in a variety of marketing, sales, operational and technical roles with P&G and Kimberly-Clark prior to joining Bridgestone. Higgs will report to Philip Dobbs, Chief Marketing Officer, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
  • Brian Goldstine, senior vice president, fleet management solutions for the commercial tire business, will take on the expanded role of president, mobility solutions and fleet management for Bridgestone Americas. Goldstine will be responsible for scaling mobility solutions for the complete Bridgestone Americas enterprise in this new role. Under Goldstine’s leadership, all existing resources dedicated to fleet management and mobility solutions will be integrated into one specialized organization, accelerating the company’s focus in this priority area. Prior to joining Bridgestone in 2017, Goldstine worked in marketing and management roles at Kimberly-Clark and Unilever. He will report to group president, Americas Tire Gabriel Asbun.
  • Craig Schneider, currently president, diversified businesses, will take on an expanded role as president, enterprise strategy, corporate development and diversified businesses. In this new role, Schneider will have responsibility for enterprise strategy, portfolio and analytics, mergers and acquisitions and strategic initiatives, while also continuing to lead the company’s diversified businesses. Before Bridgestone, Schneider served in a variety of operations, retail and sales leadership roles at Shell Oil and Capgemini. He will report directly to President, CEO & COO Paolo Ferrari.

For more company news, visit BridgestoneAmericas.com.

Media Contact: Rachel Withers, (615) 937-3636

These strategic leadership changes will enable Bridgestone to continue to successfully meet the needs of our customers in a dynamic and changing world.
Paolo Ferrari, president, CEO & COO, Bridgestone Americas
Paolo Ferrari, president, CEO & COO, Bridgestone Americas Click to Tweet

About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.:

Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM) is the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BSAM and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers, and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. BSAM also is engaged in retreading operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and produces air springs, roofing materials and industrial fibers and textiles. BSAM also operates the world’s largest chain of automotive tire and service centers. Guided by its global corporate social responsibility commitment, Our Way to Serve, the company is dedicated to improving the way people live, work, move and play in all of the communities it calls home.

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