Steinmetz Bridgestone Americas’ new HR chief

As of 7 December, Jan Steinmetz has taken over as chief human resources officer at Bridgestone Americas. He succeeds Christine Karbowiak, who held the position since February in addition to her roles as the company’s chief administrative officer and chief risk officer. Steinmetz will lead the company’s international human resource programming for nearly 55,000 employees, and is located at Bridgestone’s Nashville-based Americas Support Center and headquarters.

“Jan joins our team with 30 years of experience – bringing our company new perspectives and a depth of knowledge in leadership and HR best practices,” said Gary Garfield, chief executive officer and president of Bridgestone Americas. “With Jan’s insights we will undoubtedly continue strengthening our company’s leadership, but also our efforts to cultivate talented and dedicated professionals to advance us into the next century.”

Prior to joining Bridgestone, Steinmetz spent more than 32 years at Royal Dutch Shell and served in a number of vice presidency roles for the company throughout the United States and Canada, as well as holding sales and business consultancy roles in addition to his human resources leadership. He has worked in a number of Shell businesses, including exploration and production (onshore and offshore), mining, refining, retail, commercial and supply and distribution.