NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Bridgestone Americas Inc. has hired Brian Zempel to be president of Bridgestone Credit Division and chairman, CEO and president of Credit First National Association.
Zempel succeeds Dean Miller, who is retiring, effective Dec. 1, after more than 40 years with the company.
In his new role, Zempel “will provide strategic oversight and leadership to the CFNA team, and will be responsible for driving growth initiatives that generate revenue while maintaining and enhancing CFNA's current business,” Bridgestone said. He will be based in Brook Park, Ohio.
“Brian brings with him extensive experience in diverse areas of financial, retail and business services in both B2C and B2B industries,” said TJ Higgins, president, integrated consumer tire division, U.S. & Canada, for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
“With that experience, combined with strong leadership and change management skills, I am confident that Brian will motivate and inspire our team to drive new business, enhance revenue and better serve our customers.”
Zempel joins Bridgestone from Kohl's Department Stores, where he most recently was vice president, credit and omni-channel customer service. During his seven-year tenure there, he was responsible for managing strategic and operational aspects of the Kohl's Charge portfolio.
Prior to Kohl's, he was an executive consultant for Bank of America and spent nearly 20 years at HSBC, in all facets of its consumer lending and credit card divisions.