Michitaka Sawada
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
A career employee, he joined Kao in April 1981. He became an Executive Officer in June 2006 and Director and Executive Officer in June 2008. His appointment as President in June 2012 came in his 31st year with the company, four years after joining the board. Trust banks and foreign institutional investors dominate the top of the shareholder list, with no individuals in the top ten.
Selection
In June 2012 he became Representative Director, President and Executive Officer, succeeding Motoki Ozaki. In the fiscal year ended March 2012, the year before he took office, consolidated net sales were ¥1,216.0 billion and net income ¥52.4 billion, with operating income having risen for two straight years from ¥94.0 billion in FY ended March 2010. The change came while the integration of Kanebo Cosmetics, acquired in 2006, was still under way.
Initiatives
In the fiscal year ended December 2012 the company changed its fiscal year-end from March to December. Consolidated operating income rose for six straight years, from ¥124.7 billion in FY ended December 2013 to ¥211.7 billion in FY ended December 2019, and net sales grew from ¥1,315.2 billion to ¥1,502.2 billion. In FY ended December 2020 net sales fell to ¥1,381.9 billion and operating income to ¥175.6 billion. In January 2021 he stepped down as President and moved to Chairman.
Career
Career
Kao
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1981 | Joined |
| Jun 2006 | Executive Officer |
| Jun 2008 | Director, Executive Officer |
| Jun 2012 | Representative Director, President, Executive Officer |
| Jan 2021 | Chairman |
| Jan 2021 | Stepped down as President |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- 花王 有価証券報告書【役員の状況】