Hiroshi Sato
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Kobe Steel in April 1970 and became a Director in June 1996. He then sat on both the board and the executive officer roster: Director and Executive Officer in April 1999, Managing Executive Officer that June, Director and Managing Executive Officer in June 2000, and Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer in June 2002. He became Senior Managing Director in June 2003 and Executive Vice President in April 2004, serving five years as Executive Vice President before becoming President in April 2009.
Selection
Sato joined the board in June 1996, in his 26th year after joining in 1970. Among the Senior Managing Directors on the officer list at the end of March 2012, Tsuyoshi Kasuya, who joined in 1977, became a Director in June 2009, and Hiroya Kawasaki, who joined in 1980, in June 2012, each taking 32 years. Hiroaki Fujiwara, who joined in 1975, also became a Director in June 2009, in his 34th year, and Ikuhiro Yamaguchi, likewise a 1975 hire, in June 2010, in his 35th year, so the speed of Sato's rise to the board stands out among the company's executives.
Initiatives
In FY ended March 2009, just before he took office, the company posted a consolidated net loss of ¥31.4 billion; in FY ended March 2010 consolidated net sales fell ¥506.2 billion to ¥1,671.0 billion and operating profit dropped from ¥116.9 billion to ¥46.0 billion. Results recovered to operating profit of ¥124.6 billion and net income of ¥52.9 billion in FY ended March 2011, but there were net losses of ¥14.2 billion in FY ended March 2012 and ¥26.9 billion in FY ended March 2013. Consolidated employees rose from 33,526 to 36,018 over the same period. In January 2011 he established Kobe Steel (China) Co., Ltd. in Shanghai as the company's China headquarters.
Career
Career
Kobe Steel
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1970 | Joined |
| Jun 1996 | Director |
| Apr 1999 | Director and Executive Officer |
| Jun 1999 | Managing Executive Officer |
| Jun 2000 | Director and Managing Executive Officer |
| Jun 2002 | Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer |
| Jun 2003 | Senior Managing Director |
| Apr 2004 | Executive Vice President |
| Apr 2009 | President |
| Apr 2013 | Stepped down as President |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- 神戸製鋼所 有価証券報告書【役員の状況】（2012年3月期）