Michael Tan

MANAGING DIRECTOR 

BRIDGESTONE TYRE SALES SINGAPORE

- Jeremy Chua

THE business of selling tyres will never be as sexy as the business of selling cars. Aesthetically, it is hard for something round and black to compete with shiny and curvy sheet-metal.

But to enthusiasts and people like Michael Tan who know better, a car is nothing without its tyres. After all, the tyres are the only connection between a car and the road.

Michael, however, didn’t begin his career at a tyre company. The 53-year-old started his career in the automotive industry in 1990 as a workshop manager for Exklusiv Auto.

In 1995, Michael moved to Intra-Motors as a trainer for the Rover brand, where he also had the opportunity to work as a salesman. Two years later, he was working at Fiat as a sales manager.

Michael’s move to Bridgestone Singapore only came in 1998, when he was first assigned to the technical service department. In 2014, he was appointed as the firm’s managing director.

Michael sat down with Torque to chat about the challenges facing the tyre industry, and tells us why there is still room for the brand to grow in Singapore, despite the implementation of a zero vehicle growth rate.

Have you always wanted to work in the automotive industry?