Caterpillar Announces Officer Retirement
March 15, 2012
Caterpillar contact:
Jim Dugan, Corporate Public Affairs
309-494-4100 office
309-360-7311 mobile
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TOKYO, Japan – Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) announced today that after more than 32 years of distinguished service with the company, Ali Bahaj, Caterpillar vice president and chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Japan Ltd. (CJL) 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, 2012.
“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,” Lavin added. “On behalf of Caterpillar, I wish Ali a very happy retirement after more than three decades of service to Caterpillar."
Bahaj graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor's degree in Economics, French and Political Science and a master’s degree in Economics. He earned an MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management.
He joined Caterpillar in 1980 as an account analyst in the treasury department. During the 1980s, he held a series of positions in treasury and finance with increasing responsibilities. In 1993, he was promoted to treasurer for Caterpillar Brasil S.A., and in 1996 he was named a vice president for Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation. In 2002, Caterpillar’s Board of Directors elected Bahaj a vice president with responsibility for the Corporate Auditing & Compliance Division. He moved to his current role in 2007. During his time in Japan, Bahaj was instrumental in finalizing the agreement between CJL and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) that resulted in Caterpillar becoming the sole owner of CJL, a long time joint venture between Caterpillar and MHI.
Replacing Bahaj, the company has named Noriyuki Takeuchi as president and country manager of Caterpillar Japan Ltd. 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.
“I am confident that Noriyuki will provide critical leadership as we continue to focus on strengthening and growing our business in Japan,” Lavin said.
In his new role, Takeuchi will report directly to Lavin.
About Caterpillar:
For more than 85 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. With 2011 sales and revenues of $60.138 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services, Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services. More information is available at: http://www.caterpillar.com.
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