Kurauto Uchita
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He graduated from Tokyo University of Commerce in March 1927 and joined Dai Nippon Brewery that April. He served as general manager of operations for beer distribution controls from July 1944 and as director of the Second Operations Bureau of the Liquor Distribution Corporation, a public corporation, from March 1948, returning to Dai Nippon Brewery in July 1949. At Nippon Breweries he became Tokyo branch manager in April 1951, councillor in September 1953, Director and Tokyo branch manager in February 1955, Managing Director heading sales and advertising in February 1961, and Executive Vice President in February 1967. He was a sales man who had handled liquor distribution under wartime controls and at the public corporation.
Selection
In February 1971 he succeeded Kozaburo Nonoyama as President, also heading sales, while Nonoyama moved to Chairman. The two had been promoted to Managing Director at the same time in February 1961, from accounting and sales respectively; Nonoyama of accounting became president first, and Uchita of sales followed four years later. In the year before he took office, the FY ended December 1970, non-consolidated net sales were ¥133.3 billion and net income ¥2.1 billion, after domestic share had fallen below 25% in December 1968.
Initiatives
He continued the strategy of lining up differentiated products, but Five Star, Light and Yebisu Beer, revived in December 1970, all failed to dent Kirin Brewery, and share in fiscal 1971 stayed at 22%, and about 0.8% in the Kinki region. Non-consolidated net sales grew from ¥133.3 billion in the FY ended December 1970 to ¥148.3 billion in the FY ended December 1972, but net income fell from ¥2.1 billion to ¥1.6 billion. He moved to Chairman in February 1973. Kirin's share could reach 80 to 90%, and his own company had much to reflect on for letting it run away with the market, was the view Uchita offered in 1977 after leaving office.
Career
Career
Dai Nippon Breweries
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1927 | Joined |
| Jul 1944 | General Manager, Brewery Distribution Control Operations Department |
| Mar 1948 | Director-General, Spirits Distribution Public Corporation Operations 2 Bureau |
| Jul 1949 | Returned to Dai Nippon Breweries |
Nippon Breweries
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1951 | General Manager, Tokyo Branch |
| Sep 1953 | Director |
| Feb 1955 | Director, General Manager, Tokyo Branch |
| Feb 1961 | Managing Director, General Manager, Sales Department and General Manager, Advertising Department |
| Feb 1967 | Executive Vice President |
| Feb 1971 | President |