10 Things You Didn’t Know about Whirlpool CEO Marc Bitzer
Marc Bitzer is the current CEO of the Whirlpool Corporation, meaning that he is the man in charge of one of the biggest manufacturers and marketers of home appliances in the United States and beyond. Bitzer brought a considerable amount of experience to his current position, which was built up over the course of a long career at Whirlpool that wasn’t limited to a single segment but instead saw him taking up important responsibilities throughout the multinational corporation. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Marc Bitzer:
1. Marc Is a Version on a Roman Name
Marc is a version of the Roman praenomen Marcus, which is believed to have been connected to the Roman war god Mars in some manner. For those who are unfamiliar with Roman naming systems, the praenomen was the personal name, but in practice, it was often passed down from one generation to the next. For example, the father of the famous Gaius Julius Caesar was named Gaius Julius Caesar. Likewise, his father was named Gaius Julius Caesar as well.
2. Bitzer Is a Topographic Name
Topographic names have been very common for a very long time. In the case of Bitzer, it can indicate either someone who lived close to an enclosure or someone who lived in a place called either Bitz or Butz.
3. Spent Some of His Childhood in Switzerland
Given his name, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that Bitzer was born in Germany and was raised for a time in said country. However, it is interesting to note that he was raised for a time in Switzerland as well, which is an interesting country in that German is the single most often-spoken language followed by French, Italian, and Romansh.
4. Educated At University of St. Gallen
Education-wise, Bitzer got his MBA from the University of St. Gallen, which is based in the town of St. Gallen that serves as the capital of the canton of St. Gallen. Said town sprung up because of the hermitage of Saint Gall, who was said to have been one of the twelve companions of Saint Columbanus.
5. Started Out at Boston Consulting Group
Career-wise, Bitzer started out as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group. In short, Boston Consulting Group is a management consulting firm that is headquartered in the United States but has operations in countries situated all around the world. Moreover, it isn’t limited to the world of private businesses, as shown by how its clients include both public and non-profit entities as well.
6. Wound Up as Vice President of Boston Consulting Group
Eventually, Bitzer winded up as a vice president at Boston Consulting Group. Unfortunately, it can be rather difficult to gauge the exact duties and responsibilities of a vice president, particularly since it isn’t uncommon for corporations to have more than one handling various matters.
7. Joined Whirlpool in 1999
In 1999, Bitzer joined Whirlpool. It wasn’t long before he winded up as the senior vice president in charge of sales, marketing, and related matters for its European subsidiary, which preceded his eventual promotion to the position of president at the same subsidiary.
8. Moved Here and There
Later, Bitzer worked at other units of Whirlpool as well. For example, he winded up as the president of its U.S. subsidiary from 2009 to 2013. Furthermore, he went on to become the head of Whirlpool’s EMEA segment, which refers to the one responsible for the European, the Middle Eastern, and the African markets.
9. Well-Prepared for Becoming CEO
Due to Bitzer’s wide range of experiences while working for Whirlpool, he was considered to be very well-prepared for becoming its CEO, which resulted in him becoming the one in charge of its overall course of action. Said occurrence was relatively recent, seeing as how it happened in October of 2017.
10. EMEA Segment Has Seen Struggles in Recent Times
It is interesting to note that in recent times, Whirlpool’s EMEA segment has seen some struggles that have made it less profitable than what experts were expecting. This was caused by a combination of increases in raw material prices, unfavorable changes in foreign exchange rates, and other factors.
