Minekazu Fujimura named Chairman, CEO and President of BSEU

As from April 2004, Minekazu Fujimura has taken up the position of Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of Bridgestone Europe (BSEU).

He succeeds Shoshi Arakawa, who returns after three years to the parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, to become Senior Vice President International Operations and Member of the Board. Fujimura, who joined Bridgestone Corporation immediately after graduating in 1967, has an industrial engineering background and worked for 10 years at the American affiliate Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire LLC, where he was in charge of sales and marketing for commercial tyres. Before returning to Bridgestone Corporation, Minekazu Fujimura was CAO (Chief Administration Officer) of the American affiliate.

From 2000 onwards, he moved back to the head office and worked in the product planning department. He left the department as Vice President and Officer, Brand Planning Management and Product Planning, prior to moving to BSEU. Following his arrival at the European headquarters, Fujimura said, “This is my first posting in Europe, and I welcome the challenge. It is quite a change after spending such a long time in the US and Japan, but I like it. All of the world’s leading tyre manufacturers are active in the European market, so the competition is intense. Furthermore, the European market is one of the most demanding in the world! This is equally true of end users purchasing replacement tyres as of the automotive manufacturers themselves.

Some two years ago, Bridgestone Europe and the head office set out a clear plan for the mid- and long-term future of our company. In following this route, our top priority is to maintain steady growth. By 2008, our aim is to achieve more than 50% unaided awareness of the Bridgestone brand, and a 15% share of the European market for our passenger car tyres.”