Tetsuro Kawakami
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
A career employee, he joined Sumitomo Electric Industries in 1952, became a Director in 1975, a Managing Director in 1978 and Representative Director and Senior Managing Director in 1980, rising to Representative Director and President in June 1982. It took him 30 years from joining to become President, climbing the executive ranks step by step over seven years after joining the board. As of September 1974, before he took office, the major shareholders were life insurers and Sumitomo financial institutions, led by Sumitomo Life Insurance at 8.65%, with no individual shareholder in the top ten.
Selection
In June 1982 he succeeded Masao Kamei as Representative Director and President, with Kamei moving to Chairman that same month. Under his predecessor the company had begun manufacturing optical fiber cable, won the Nigerian telecommunications network contract and carried out its first market-price share offering, broadening both its business and its financing. Having served seven years as an executive up to Senior Managing Director, his appointment appears to have followed the internal order of seniority.
Initiatives
In 1985 the company commercialized synthetic single-crystal diamond products. This capped a sequence of new businesses that began with electron-beam-irradiated Irrax tubes in 1962. In 1986 it established Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems in the United States, taking the first step toward supplying automotive wiring harnesses locally. The decision appears to have been to make parts on site in step with Japanese automakers' North American production.
Career
Career
Sumitomo Electric Industries
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1952 | Joined |
| 1975 | Director |
| 1978 | Managing Director |
| 1980 | Representative Director, Senior Managing Officer |
| Jun 1982 | Representative Director, President |
| 1991 | Representative Director, Chairman |
| Jun 1991 | Stepped down as President |
| 1999 | Senior Advisor |