Seiichi Kitano
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1911, he graduated from Kobe Higher Commercial School in March 1932 and joined Osame Sulfuric Acid in February 1938. He became a Director in January 1948, Director and General Manager of Accounting in April 1961, Managing Director in July 1963 and Senior Managing Director in July 1965, in charge of administration. His fellow Senior Managing Directors at the time, Saburo Ishikawa in charge of technology and Shigeru Sakuyama in charge of R&D, were both graduates of the Faculty of Engineering at Kyoto Imperial University. On a board lined with engineers, he was one of the few who had risen from accounting.
Selection
In March 1970 President Taizo Hachiya died suddenly in office, and the following month, April, Senior Managing Director Seiichi Kitano became President. The officer listing shows Saburo Ishikawa, in charge of technology, and Shigeru Sakuyama, in charge of R&D, at the same rank of Senior Managing Director, so the change was not decided by seniority alone. Taking over after a founder who had built the company on technology and made capital investments exceeding its capital, the choice appears to have favored financial control over continued expansion.
Initiatives
In 1970 the company succeeded in domestically producing acrylic acid by applying its vapor-phase oxidation technology, and in October 1972 it began producing secondary alcohol ethoxylates. By 1972 its policy of relying on in-house technology and ending technology imports from abroad was paying off in results, and because it focused on oxidation and catalysts, R&D spending was held to around 2% of sales. In automotive exhaust purification catalysts it set up a joint venture in the US, signed a supply contract with General Motors and began deliveries in July 1974.
Career
Career
Nippon Shokubai
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1970 | President |
| Feb 1981 | Stepped down as President |