Bridgestone appoints Ulf Harring as chief operating officer EMEA

Bridgestone has appointed Ulf Harring as its chief operating officer (COO) for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, effective 1 September. Harring will be responsible for manufacturing, logistics and supply chain management, procurement, quality, environment, health and safety (QESH) and IT.

The Swedish national has extensive experience in a number of areas. At the time of his appointment to Bridgestone, Harring was COO and executive vice president at Bosch Siemens Home Appliances, Europe and Latin America. Previous executive roles at Daimler (Mercedes-Benz Car Group), Mitsubishi Motors and Electrolux saw him working in operations, procurement management and supply chain services. In fact, In November 2013, Ulf was awarded the Supply Chain Professional of the Year Award by Accenture, SAS Institute and SILF.

“It will be a great pleasure to work with Bridgestone. After almost 90 years, the company is a leader in the creation, development and delivery of premium products and solutions for the new mobility era,” says Harring. “It will be personally and professionally fulfilling to work on the challenges we face today and the opportunities that arise in the future.”

“We are particularly enthusiastic about Ulf joining the Bridgestone team,” said Paolo Ferrari. “Ulf will not just work to drive performance in our core tyre operations. As part of Bridgestone EMEA senior leadership, I expect his insight and experience will provide tremendous support as Bridgestone consolidates itself as a trusted mobility solutions leader.”

In his new role, Harring will report to Paolo Ferrari, CEO and president of Bridgestone EMEA and executive officer of Bridgestone Corporation. As COO, he will join the Bridgestone EMEA Executive Committee.

Tiberio appointed to Executive Committee

In addition to Ulf Harring, Emilio Tiberio, VP of Research and Development for BSEMEA, has also been appointed to the Bridgestone EMEA Executive Committee. Emilio Tiberio has deep knowledge of the industry and he has many years of experience in technology and innovation. Both Emilio’s and Ulf’s joining the Executive Committee will ensure Bridgestone has a broad range of opinions and experience to rely on as the company further accelerates its transformation.

“The automotive and tyre industry is undergoing rapid change and needs to capture and respond to social, economic and technological opportunities and challenges. Bridgestone is deftly committed to doing so,” stated Ferrari. “Our products and our solutions, such as DriveGuard, Bridgestone Turanza T005, our new Bridgestone Weather Control A005, Tirematics and Fleetbridge, as well as the insights of experts such as Ulf and Emilio, will be instrumental in paving our way forward to be a leader in brilliant mobility solutions.”