Hitoshi Kawahara
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
A career employee who joined Kuraray in April 1984, he spent 37 years inside the company before becoming President. He became an Executive Officer in March 2016, his 32nd year, then Managing Executive Officer in March 2018 and Director and Managing Executive Officer in March 2019. It was four years and ten months from joining management as an executive to becoming President. More than five years after taking office in January 2021, he remains President.
Selection
In January 2021 he succeeded Masaaki Ito as Representative Director and President, and his predecessor became Chairman of the Board on the same day. In the FY ended December 2020, just before he took office, consolidated net sales were ¥541.7 billion and operating income ¥44.3 billion, with operating income 40% lower than the ¥76.4 billion on sales of ¥518.4 billion in the FY ended December 2017. In the prior FY ended December 2019, the company had posted a net loss of ¥1.9 billion due to a fire at a US plant and litigation losses. Coming right after a loss, the change appears to have entrusted him with rebuilding results.
Initiatives
Consolidated net sales rose for four straight periods from ¥629.3 billion in the FY ended December 2021, his first year, to ¥826.8 billion in the FY ended December 2024, up 53% from ¥541.7 billion in the FY ended December 2020 before he took office. Operating income reached ¥87.1 billion in the FY ended December 2022, exceeding the ¥76.4 billion of the FY ended December 2017, the highest under his predecessor. In the FY ended December 2025, however, sales fell to ¥808.4 billion and operating income to ¥58.9 billion, and net income dropped to ¥7.4 billion.
Career
Career
Kuraray
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1984 | Joined |
| Mar 2016 | Executive Officer |
| Mar 2018 | Managing Executive Officer |
| Mar 2019 | Director and Managing Executive Officer |
| Jan 2021 | Representative Director, President |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- クラレ 有価証券報告書【役員の状況】