Back

Globetrotting Michael CODRON (who graduated the Grande École Program in 1995) has been to 53 different countries during a 26-year career with Bridgestone. Ten of those years were spent turning around the Group’s ailing subsidiaries. His latest challenge has everything he could wish for: a move to a new continent to take over the presidency of Bridgestone Aircraft Tire USA. He talked to us about his new role.

Michael CODRON, you’ve spent your entire career with Bridgestone. Is that because of its international scope?

Absolutely. I’ve always loved travelling, and the culture shock you get when you arrive in a new country, learning about its customs and traditions. It’s so varied and exciting, as long as you do your homework beforehand to avoid any faux pas. In Japan, for example, it’s rude to blow your nose in public, however it’s quite common to pass round a spittoon in the conference room when negotiating with Chinese clients. Travelling is a chance to reflect on your own habits, which may seem strange in other parts of the world, and to learn to respect differences: it provides some wonderful life lessons. As soon as I graduated from IÉSEG, I wanted to join a company with global reach: Bridgestone’s advert for a job as Corporate Auditor – which enabled me to visit European subsidiaries with my Japanese colleagues – came just at the right time.

Over the past ten years, you have specialized in the turnaround of the group’s subsidiaries. What drew you to this type of work?

In the way it often happens, they offered me the opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands. I was CFO of the French subsidiary and our truck tire division was losing money. My Managing Director was tired of listening to me ranting and raving about our poor performance. He suggested that I lead the negotiations myself by making me Sales Director for this task. I immediately enjoyed this aspect of the business, because when you meet a customer, you can soon tell whether you’ve been convincing or not, unlike with the legal or financial aspects, which take time. I was able to turn the business around within a few months, and was eventually promoted to head up the Business Unit for Europe.

Where does your appetite for this type of challenge come from?

The more desperate the initial situation seems, the more I enjoy it! I like things which are tangible with the opportunity to implement a coherent strategy, taking the teams with me. It’s a real adventure that’s exciting and rewarding. I’d compare it to spring-cleaning your attic: everything’s covered in dust, but as you start to sweep, treasures that you might not even have known were there gradually come to light, waiting to be discovered…

You have helped several subsidiaries return to profit. What is the “Michael CODRON method”?

The diagnostic phase is key, and usually takes me three months. This breaks down into three successive stages. First, data analysis (financial, production, etc.), which is no problem when you’ve been to IÉSEG. Then, what the customers are saying: I meet as many as possible to sound out their opinions, understand their expectations and find out about the background to their relationship. Finally, what the teams are saying: this is a stage I particularly enjoy, and where I can learn a lot. I turn up with pizzas, and we sit down around a table in groups of ten to talk freely about what’s going well in the company and what’s not.

What happens next?

I summarize the results and share them with the management team. This is where we work together to visualize the company we want to work for, what we’d like customers to say about us and our strategic priorities. I then communicate these to all employees during “Town Hall” sessions, which give everyone a chance to say their piece and make their contribution. You can’t imagine how energized and motivated employees can be when given the opportunity to contribute to the life and success of their company.

Like many other companies, Bridgestone has had to bear the brunt of the pandemic. What was your personal experience?

Three years previously, the Group offered me the chance to take over the subsidiary that markets aircraft tires for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with a plant in Belgium. The subsidiary was in a very difficult situation, but with unprecedented potential for growth: the commercial aviation market was doubling every 20 years, and no crisis, whether it be financial or political, had so far had any impact on this growth.

In March 2020, the world came to a standstill, and air transport entered the worst crisis in its history. My sales collapsed, my customers ground to a halt, and we had no idea how long it would take for things to get back to normal. I was sleeping five hours a night and wanted to do everything I could to hang onto jobs: we came up with a plan that allowed us to keep 90% of the workforce, on condition that everyone went on temporary layoff, even the top managers.

Saving on the highest salaries, but above all ensuring that all employees were treated equally, enabled us to emerge from this shared ordeal with our heads held high. It was a risky approach, but when business picked up again in 2022, we were able to recover faster than our competitors who had chosen to cut the payroll.

2023 marked another turning point in your career, with a change of position… and of continent. What triggered it?

Once a subsidiary is up and running and performing well, I tend to get bored. I had started discussions with my Japanese managers; our aircraft tire business in the USA was in the most trouble. We envisaged a transfer in 2024/2025, which gave me time to talk to those around me, starting with my wife. In the end, the CEO of the Americas zone threw in the towel in June 2023, and we had to speed things up. My wife and daughter’s enthusiasm really encouraged me to take the plunge.

How did your first few weeks go in the US?

The three of us arrived in Greensboro, North Carolina, feeling a bit nervous, and began the process of enrolling our daughter in school, finding a house and opening a bank account. We even had to retake our driving tests! The support and advice from Bridgestone helped us to tackle each of these steps calmly and in the right order! The first few weeks were intense: we stayed in an Airbnb while our furniture arrived by boat. Once the house had been chosen and the furniture delivered, we could start planning.

The first thing that strikes you when you arrive is how welcoming and helpful everyone is, not least at the school, which does everything it can to integrate new arrivals and their parents, especially expats. Donut parties are a great way to make new acquaintances and share everyday worries with families from all over the world.

The American way of life seems similar to our own, but the differences quickly become apparent: we were invited to a Thanksgiving feast at 6 pm. By the time we arrived at 6.45 pm, everyone had almost finished eating! Another difference is modes of transport, since almost everything is done by car. This seems to be the case all over, since Americans preparing to spend their vacations in Europe are advised to walk 20,000 steps a day in the month preceding their arrival.

What can you tell us about the company of which you are President?

Bridgestone Aircraft Tire USA is a company of 150 people covering North and South America. Our main customers are airlines such as American Airlines, Delta, United and others. We’re all on first-name terms, with the spirit of an SME but the power of a large group. From a managerial and cultural point of view, issues of harassment and discrimination are much more advanced here: I’ve been advised against asking questions about an employee’s family or complimenting a colleague on his or her outfit or new haircut, for example. Once again, it’s important not to pass judgment, but simply to adapt and respect local customs.

How do you see the future?

I’ve been here for a year now and things are going well, with the company already back in the black. However, there’s still a lot of groundwork to be done in order to consolidate the basics and sustain good results. I would therefore expect to stay with the company for between three and five years. This will depend in particular on the emergence of new problems in another subsidiary. I’d like to follow this with experience in Asia, but I’ll go wherever I can be useful and where my family can grow alongside me.