Bridgestone appoints northern UK consumer marketing manager

Bridgestone has appointed Wim Belckx as its new north region consumer marketing manager. Now based in Leamington, the 34 year-old, originally from Belgium, has worked his way up the Bridgestone ladder since his first job as a marketing analyst at BSEU in 2003. Belckx takes up his position having headed Brussels’ newly created pricing department in 2010.

He said: “It has been a busy start to life in the UK and I am enjoying every second. I’m really enjoying the atmosphere here, which is positive and upbeat. There is lots of work to do, but the foundations from which we start are solid.”

Belckx says that the need to build-up market intelligence is amongst his most pressing priorities: “My goal is to gain a better insight into the market, and build-up intelligence accordingly. We definitely need to have a very solid and structured approach on marketing intelligence to make the right decisions at the right time.”

The revitalisation of Bridgestone’s Firestone brand will also be high on his agenda: “I’m very keen on getting a fully revitalised Firestone brand back on track. The routes are strong and the legacy of the brand is compelling. The products are well engineered and overall, Firestone does represent excellent value for money.”

Belckx, who is married with two children aged three and five, said that adjusting to life in England had been enjoyable, too. “It is not entirely different here in England as it is in Belgium. The people are generally more friendly and hospitable here and the scenery is beautiful. The weather doesn’t affect me either. It’s as bad here as it is in Belgium!”