Kotaro Shiono
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in 1910, he graduated from Kobe University of Commerce in 1934 and joined Shionogi & Co. in March of that year. The third generation of the founding family, he became a Director in July 1937, three years after joining, and Senior Managing Director in January 1941. He also held shares personally: 4.1% as of June 1961, ranking sixth among major shareholders, and 2.84% as of March 1980, ranking fifth. The top spots were held by corporations such as Sumitomo Life Insurance and Nippon Life Insurance.
Selection
He became President in October 1953. His predecessor was the second Gisaburo Shiono, and it was a succession within the founding family. In the same month, October 1953, Shutaro Sawada and Toru Iwaki became Senior Managing Directors and Kiitsu Yoshida Managing Director, so the change came with a reshuffle of the executive team. Whereas Sawada took seven years from joining in July 1936 to reach the board, Kotaro had become a Director in three.
Initiatives
In 1961 he built a new research laboratory, aiming to create in-house products that could withstand international competition. In March 1962 he told employees that Shionogi's history had been one of imitating others, and declared that the company would stand on original products and the export of their technology. Non-consolidated net sales grew from ¥48.8 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1971 to ¥142.3 billion in FY ended March 1981, and ordinary income from ¥7.5 billion to ¥18.4 billion. In June 1978 he appointed Zenpei Kita, who had come up through the scientific side, as Executive Vice President.
Career
Career
Shionogi
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Representative Director, President |
| 1981 | Stepped down as President |