Lampe succeeds Ono, Togashi tapped as second-in-command at Bridgestone/Firestone

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 10)—John Lampe has succeeded Masatoshi Ono as chairman and CEO of Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., ending weeks of speculation that Ono would step down in the wake of the recall of 6.5 million Firestone ATX and Wilderness tires. Isao Togashi will fill Lampe´s previous position as senior vice president and second-in-command at the Nashville-based tire maker. Ono, CEO since 1993, is in the process of returning to Japan, Lampe said at a Nashville news conference. Ono remains on the board of directors and will discuss his future role with Bridgestone Corp. Chairman Yoichiro Kaizaki. Lampe´s first act as CEO was to offer an apology to those who had suffered death, injury or property loss while riding on Firestone tires. He said he would institute an action plan which included completing the recall by November, making further changes in management and taking fresh approaches to gathering data at the company. "We need to make sure our data gets back to one place responsible for data collection," he said. He also said the company needs to "look at how the tire relates to all the aspects of the vehicle."