Most recent roles:
 - Vice Chair, Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Risk Officer, and Executive Vice President, Bridgestone Americas Member, Executive Committee, Bridgestone Americas

 - Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, Bridgestone Corporation G-Chief Sustainability Officer (G-CSTO), Bridgestone Corporation Member, Global Executive Committee (G-EXCO), Bridgestone Corporation 

With more than 28 years of service with Bridgestone Americas, on January 1, 2021 Christine Karbowiak retired from her role as an Executive Vice President; prior to her retirement she also concurrently served as the company’s Vice Chair, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief Risk Officer (CRO). In addition, she served as an Executive Vice President, Executive Officer and G-Chief Sustainability Officer of Tokyo-based Bridgestone Corporation as well as a member of that company’s Global Executive Committee and a member of the Board and Chair of the Governance and Risk Committee of Bridgestone China Asia Pacific.

Karbowiak oversaw all of Bridgestone Americas’ risk and reputation management departments, including communications, environmental, corporate security, safety, industrial hygiene, and internal audit, as well as government relations, sustainability and the Nashville office facilities. A member of the Bridgestone Americas Executive Committee, she also chaired the Bridgestone Americas Board Audit Committee and served on that Board’s Governance and Risk Committee and was Chair of the Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund. She led the team that was responsible for negotiating and executing Bridgestone Corporation’s TOP Sponsorship Agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2014 and was a member of the Bridgestone International Organizing Committee, the global executive team charged with overseeing Bridgestone’s activation of its TOP partnership with the IOC. In 2019, she was named G-Chief Sustainability Officer (G-CSTO) for Bridgestone Corporation, a role that reported through the company’s Tokyo-based Global Head Office and represented that company on the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Tire Industry Project (TIP), an initiative of the WBCSD, for 6 years prior to her retirement.

Since her retirement, she continues to support Bridgestone Americas and Bridgestone Corporation as a consultant. Karbowiak also remains active in community organizations and volunteer efforts and currently serves on a number of boards and committees, including: Middle Tennessee State University, Board of Trustees; the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Japan America Society of Tennessee. Among other recognitions, which include being named Volunteer of the Year by the Nashville Chapter of the YMCA and the Nashville Sports Council, a Nashville Business Journal Woman of Influence, a YWCA Academy of Women of Achievement honoree, member of the annual Nashville Power 100 and a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Illinois College of Law, in 2020, Karbowiak was awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Government of Japan for her contribution to promoting friendly relations and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States and the Champion of Commerce Award from the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In October 2022 she was inducted into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame in recognition of her work on behalf of the industry, including in the areas of sustainability and fostering diversity and inclusion.

Karbowiak earned both a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois. She previously was an associate at the law firm of Quinn, Jacobs & Barry and served as an attorney with G.D. Searle and Co. (later The NutraSweet Co.).