Bridgestone appoints new global leader

Tokyo – Bridgestone Corp. has appointed Yasuhiro Morita as the group’s new global chief executive officer with effect from 1 Jan, 2026, the Japanese group announced 23 Oct.

Yasuhiro Morita will replace Shuichi Ishibashi, who is to retire from the position of representative executive officer on 31 Dec.

Ishibashi will also step down from the Bridgestone board upon the expiration of his term at the company's annual shareholders' meeting in March 2026.

Since joining Bridgestone in 1996, Morita has held senior roles across the group’s tire business, covering markets in Europe and Asia.

In 2024, he was appointed vice president and senior officer before, this year, becoming group executive VP and representative executive officer.

Morita’s current responsibilities cover cross-functional and global optimisation roles as global chief administration officer and global chief strategy office.

His remits includes quality management, finance, HR, sustainability, digital transformation, product strategy, procurement, supply chain and motorsports. 

In its statement, Bridgestone said a new global management structure for 2026 would be “announced when finalised”.