Eijiro Ota
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Morinaga & Co. in April 1982. He became a Director in June 2011, assigned to head the frozen desserts division, and moved to head of sales in April 2014. He became Director and Senior Executive Officer in June 2014, Director and Managing Executive Officer in June 2015 and Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer in June 2017, and became President 37 years after joining. He was successively entrusted with running the frozen desserts business and company-wide sales.
Selection
In June 2019 he succeeded Toru Arai as President. In the fiscal year ended March 2019, the year before he took office, consolidated net sales were ¥205.4 billion and operating profit ¥20.2 billion, roughly flat from ¥205.0 billion and ¥19.8 billion the previous year. The change was not prompted by deteriorating results. He had been in charge of company-wide sales as head of sales since April 2014, and appears to have taken over management as an extension of that role.
Initiatives
In the fiscal year ended March 2021, the year after he took office, consolidated net sales were ¥168.2 billion, down about 20% from ¥208.9 billion the previous year. In FY ended March 2022 the company moved to reduce its cross-shareholding in Morinaga Milk Industry and carried out governance reforms in line with the shift to the Prime Market, and net income that year doubled to ¥27.8 billion from ¥13.4 billion. Sales grew steadily thereafter, and in his final year, FY ended March 2025, net sales were ¥229.0 billion and operating profit ¥21.3 billion, above the ¥205.4 billion and ¥20.2 billion of the year before he took office.
Career
Career
Morinaga &
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1982 | Joined |
| Jun 2011 | Director |
| Jun 2011 | General Manager, Frozen Desserts Business Headquarters |
| Apr 2014 | General Manager, Sales Headquarters |
| Jun 2014 | Director, Senior Executive Officer |
| Jun 2015 | Director, Managing Executive Officer |
| Jun 2017 | Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer |
| Jun 2019 | Representative Director, President |
| Jun 2020 | President, Morinaga Enzeru Foundation |
| Jun 2021 | Chairman, All Nippon Confectionery Association |
| Jun 2024 | 一般社団法人日本食品・バイオ知的財産権センター会長就任 (translation pending) |
| Apr 2025 | Representative Director, Chairman, CEO |
| Apr 2025 | Stepped down as President |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- 森永製菓 有価証券報告書 第177期（2024年3月期）【役員の状況】