Hideaki Yamashita
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He graduated from the commercial college division of Tokyo University of Commerce in March 1932 and joined the company. From deputy accounting manager at Mitsubishi Chemical Industries' Asahi division, he became that division's accounting manager in March 1950 and Asahi Glass's accounting manager in June of the same year. He became a Director in February 1959, a Managing Director in August 1967 and a Senior Managing Director in February 1971. A numbers man, he remained accounting manager even after joining the board and served as auditor of affiliates such as Hinode Shoji and Keiyo Pipeline.
Selection
He became President in February 1973 when Motoharu Kurata moved to Chairman, exactly two years after becoming a Senior Managing Director. His two predecessors had engineering and ceramics backgrounds and had come up through plants and manufacturing, so the appointment of Yamashita, a long-serving accounting manager, marked a change of track. Non-consolidated net sales in FY ended December 1972, the year before he took over, were ¥163.8 billion, and results were still growing.
Initiatives
In 1974 he opened the Kashima plant and established Thai Safety Glass, entering automotive glass production in Asia. In November 1980 he set out an "amoeba-like" diversification policy that channeled R&D into creating businesses over the long term, charting a path to expand into chemicals, ceramics and electronics. From March 1976 he also sat on the board of Mitsubishi Petrochemical. Non-consolidated net sales went from ¥199.4 billion in FY ended December 1973 to ¥471.8 billion in FY ended December 1980.
Career
Career
Asahi Glass
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1932 | Joined |
| 1971 | Senior Managing Director |
| Feb 1973 | President |
| Mar 1981 | Chairman |
| Mar 1981 | Stepped down as President |