Hideo Sugisawa
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering of Kyoto Imperial University in March 1938 and joined Kobe Steel that April. As of 1961 he was manager of the Kobe plant, became deputy head of the Iron and Steel Division in December 1964 and a Director in May 1965. An engineer, he ran the steel operations on the ground as the Nadahama blast furnace started up and construction at Kakogawa began. He became a Managing Director in November 1969, a Senior Managing Director in November 1970 and Executive Vice President in May 1973, reaching the presidency 11 years after joining the board.
Selection
In September 1976 he moved up from Executive Vice President to President, succeeding Hiroaki Suzuki. Yoshimi Inoue, two presidents earlier, remained Chairman, so only the president changed, after less than two years. Kobe Steel's non-consolidated net income had fallen to ¥3.2 billion in FY ended March 1976 and recovered to ¥11.3 billion in his first year, FY ended March 1977. At a time when the question was how to run the Kakogawa Works, an engineer who had come up through the Iron and Steel Division was chosen.
Initiatives
He held the presidency for 13 months, from September 1976 to October 1977. In his first year, FY ended March 1977, non-consolidated net sales were ¥896.7 billion and net income ¥11.3 billion, a recovery from ¥3.2 billion the year before. No new plants or overseas bases were added in those 13 months, which were spent running the Kakogawa Works facilities that had started operating in March 1970. In October 1977 he moved to Chairman and handed the presidency to Kokichi Takahashi.
Career
Career
Kobe Steel
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Joined |
| Sep 1976 | President |
| Oct 1977 | Stepped down as President |
| Oct 1977 | Stepped down as President |