Yoshiteru Akita
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Nippon Godo Finance (now JAFCO) in April 1993 and moved to Jack in April 1996. He became Representative Director of ICP in September 1999 and, holding that title, joined Kakaku.com's board in May 2000. He came in not as an engineer who built the price-comparison site but from the side handling investment and corporate management. In the FY ended March 2006, his last year as president, parent Digital Garage held 40.08%, while Akita personally ranked as the fifth-largest shareholder with 4.05%.
Selection
In December 2001, one year and seven months after joining the board, he took over the presidency from his predecessor Mitsuaki Makino. Digital Garage's capital participation came half a year later, in June 2002, and the company became its subsidiary, receiving officers from it, in July 2002, so he was a president chosen by the company while still independent, before outside capital came in. In the FY ended March 2002, right after he took office, the company was on the scale of ¥300 million in sales and ¥100 million in ordinary income. In this change the representative of the acquiring side took on management of the business it had bought.
Initiatives
In October 2003 he listed the company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market, moving it to the First Section in March 2005. In January 2005 he made Forttravel a wholly owned subsidiary through a share purchase and share exchange, serving himself as its Representative Director and Chairman. In December 2005 he set up the payments subsidiary Kakaku.com Financial. Also in 2005, unauthorized access forced the company into a total shutdown of the site, and a restaurant review service was launched that year as well. Net sales grew from ¥300 million in the FY ended March 2002 to ¥2.9 billion in the FY ended March 2006.
Career
Career
Nippon Godo Finance JAFCO
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1993 | Joined |
Jakku livedoor Auto
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1996 | Joined |
ICP
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Sep 1999 | Representative Director |
Kakaku.com
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| May 2000 | Director |
| Dec 2001 | Representative Director, President |
| Apr 2003 | Representative Director, President and CEO |
| Jul 2005 | Representative Director, President |
| Jun 2006 | Director, Senior Advisor |
Fotoraberu
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jan 2005 | Representative Director, Chairman |
Kakaku.com Financial
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Dec 2005 | Director |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- カカクコム 有価証券報告書【役員の状況】（2006年3月期）