Michele Herlein joined Bridgestone West (Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa) as Chief People Officer in January 2026. In this role, Herlein partners with leaders and teammates across the organization to strengthen culture, accelerate leadership development, and advance priorities that support business performance.
Herlein is a published author of Cultural Excellence: A Leader’s Guide to Strengthening the Heart of Your Organization and recognized authority in the creation and continuity of organizational cultures that drive sustainable business success. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, she has designed, implemented, and sustained cultures that foster innovation, engagement, and high performance.
Before joining Bridgestone as Chief People Officer, Herlein served as Founder and CEO of CultureMax, advising organizations on culture creation, leadership development, and change management. Previously, she was Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Human Resource Officer at Barge Design Solutions, Inc., where she led initiatives that contributed to recognition as a Great Place to Work and strengthened the company’s employee experience and organizational effectiveness.
Herlein brings deep experience in talent, organization, and culture. This includes prior service at Bridgestone Americas as Vice President of Talent, Organization, and Culture, where she helped integrate talent management systems and guided cultural transformation.
She also spent a decade at Bandag, Inc., leading leadership development and succession planning programs that strengthened organizational capability and resilience.
Herlein holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from St. Ambrose University, a master’s in communication theory, and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing (minor in Economics) from Northern Illinois University.
