Yoshihisa Kitano
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Kawasaki Steel in April 1982. He climbed the executive ranks at the operating company, becoming Managing Executive Officer in April 2011, Senior Managing Executive Officer in April 2014 and Representative Director and Executive Vice President in April 2018, and became President of JFE Steel in April 2019. That June he also became a Representative Director of the holding company JFE Holdings.
Selection
In April 2024 he succeeded Koji Kakigi as Representative Director, President and CEO. He was appointed after five years as president of the operating company JFE Steel, and had been a Representative Director of the holding company since June 2019. In the fiscal year before he took over, ended March 2024, consolidated net sales were ¥5,174.6 billion and operating profit ¥287.0 billion. At his first full-year earnings briefing he set a goal of completing development of breakthrough carbon-neutral technologies by the mid-2030s and preparing for their deployment.
Initiatives
In June 2025 he launched the Eighth Medium-Term Business Plan, with the Long-Term Vision 2035 targeting group business profit of ¥700 billion. He made land use in the Keihin area a fourth pillar of future earnings, and overseas adopted a policy of entering local markets as an insider. For the fiscal 2024 dividend, which would have dropped sharply under the 30% payout-ratio policy, he prioritized stable shareholder returns, cutting it by ¥10 from the previously announced ¥110 to ¥100 per share, the same as the prior year. Consolidated operating profit fell from ¥287.0 billion in FY ended March 2024 to ¥112.2 billion in FY ended March 2026.
Career
Career
JFE Steel
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1982 | Joined Kawasaki Steel |
| Apr 2011 | Managing Executive Officer |
| Apr 2014 | Senior Managing Executive Officer |
| Apr 2018 | Representative Director, Executive Vice President |
| Apr 2019 | Representative Director, President |
JFE Holdings
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jun 2019 | Representative Director |
| Apr 2024 | Representative Director, President and CEO |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- JFEホールディングス 有価証券報告書 第23期（2024年3月期）【役員の状況】