Caterpillar Inc. last week announced that after more than 32 years of service with the company, Ali Bahaj, Caterpillar vice president, and chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Japan Ltd. has elected to retire. Bahaj has been a Caterpillar vice president since 2002 and is currently chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Japan Ltd. and a Caterpillar vice president. Bahaj’s retirement will be effective May 1.
“Throughout his career, Ali has consistently demonstrated a people-first leadership style, that combined with his strong finance and treasury background has produced record safety and production levels at our manufacturing facilities in Japan and record sales and profits in Japan,” said Rich Lavin, Caterpillar group president with responsibility for Construction Industries and Growth Markets. “Most notable, Ali provided outstanding leadership under pressure as he managed Caterpillar’s response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011. As a result, the impact to Caterpillar operations in Japan was minimized, and Caterpillar’s Japanese facilities quickly returned to full production. At the same time, Caterpillar provided significant resources in support of the rescue, recovery and clean-up efforts following the disaster.”
The company named Noriyuki Takeuchi as president and country manager of Caterpillar Japan Ltd., replacing Bahaj. Takeuchi joined the company in 1976, and since that time has held a wide range of positions with increasing responsibilities with a particular focus on purchasing, strategic planning and manufacturing operations.
Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.
