Zenpei Kita
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1916, he graduated from Kobe University of Commerce in 1938 and joined Shionogi & Co. in March of that year. He became General Manager of the No. 2 Scientific Department in April 1962, a Director in November 1963, and in May 1970, as Managing Director, also headed the No. 1 Scientific Department. He became Senior Managing Director in May 1974 and Executive Vice President in June 1978, handling the scientific (medical information) side throughout his career. Unlike Kotaro Shiono, who appeared among the major shareholders as an individual, he held no founding-family capital.
Selection
As of June 1981, Kotaro Shiono was President, Kita Executive Vice President, and Kazuo Yoshitoshi and Hajime Mukai were Senior Managing Directors. Kita was the only Executive Vice President, in the position next to the President. Kotaro Shiono had been President for 28 years since October 1953, and this was the first change to pass the presidency outside the founding family. The appointment appears to have promoted someone from the scientific side over those from sales and finance.
Initiatives
His tenure as President lasted only about a year. During that time, at the end of 1981, the third-generation antibiotic Shiomarin came out, the company's first major in-house new drug in 22 years. Non-consolidated net sales grew from ¥142.3 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1981 to ¥155.1 billion in FY ended March 1982, while ordinary income fell from ¥18.4 billion to ¥16.5 billion. In FY ended March 1983 sales reached ¥181.1 billion and ordinary income recovered to ¥24.4 billion.
Career
Career
Shionogi
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1981 | Representative Director, President |
| 1982 | Stepped down as President |