Tsuguo Okabayashi
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at Osaka Imperial University in 1935 and joined Kurashiki Rayon in March that year. He joined the board in November 1959 and in 1962 was General Manager of Construction at the Nakajo Plant. He became Senior Managing Director of affiliate Kyowa Gas Chemical Industry in May 1962, Managing Director of the parent in May 1963, Senior Managing Director in August 1968 and Director and Executive Vice President in May 1971. He was an executive from the technical side, with 40 years from joining to the presidency. He was from Kochi Prefecture.
Selection
In May 1975 he succeeded Jo Sengoku as President, and Sengoku moved to Director and Chairman. It was right after the first oil crisis, and in the FY ended March 1975, his first year, ordinary income had fallen from ¥11.6 billion the year before to ¥1.0 billion. The appointment appears to have placed an engineer who had spent four years as Executive Vice President and been involved in launching polyisoprene rubber at the Kashima Plant and Kuraray Isoprene in charge just as earnings plunged.
Initiatives
Ordinary losses continued for three periods after he took office, sinking to an ordinary loss of ¥5.2 billion and a net loss of ¥3.2 billion in the FY ended March 1978. The workforce shrank by about 2,000 in the two years from March 1975, and as of June 1977 the company had set a target of a further reduction of around 2,000. In parallel, from 1976 it entered fine chemicals with production of isoprene derivatives, and in 1978 expanded into the medical field with an adhesive dental filling material and an artificial kidney. By the FY ended March 1982, sales had recovered to ¥195.4 billion and ordinary income to ¥3.5 billion.
Career
Career
Kuraray
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Mar 1935 | Joined |
| Nov 1959 | Director |
| May 1963 | Managing Director |
| Aug 1968 | Senior Managing Director |
| May 1971 | Executive Vice President |
| May 1975 | President |
| Oct 1982 | Stepped down as President |
Kyowa Gas Chemical Industry
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| May 1962 | Senior Managing Director |
Kuraray Isopuren
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Nov 1972 | President |