Naotaka Ida
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined IBM Japan in April 1964 and moved to Recruit in 1969, switching from selling computers to selling information magazines. He became a Director and head of the Sales Headquarters in 1976 and a Senior Managing Director in 1984, supporting the founder as the overseer of sales. It was 19 years from his mid-career move to becoming President, and in the company's 28th year someone other than the founder took the top job for the first time.
Selection
In January 1988, after the affair in which unlisted shares of Recruit Cosmos were transferred to figures in politics, business and the bureaucracy came to light, Hiromasa Ezoe resigned as President, and Ida succeeded him. Ezoe himself was arrested the following year, in 1989. The appointment moved up an insider who had run sales as Senior Managing Director, and he appears to have been given the task of turning the founder's personal shop into a corporate organization.
Initiatives
In 1992 group debt reached ¥1.8 trillion. Hiromasa Ezoe, judging that he could not marshal support while on trial, entrusted the overseeing role to Isao Nakauchi of Daiei. Under the reconstruction plan launched in 1993, the company took over ¥360 billion worth of condominiums and land from Recruit Cosmos and assumed ¥600 billion of debt from First Finance, swelling interest-bearing debt to ¥1,400.2 billion. Even during this period it launched Jalan in 1990 and Zexy in 1993.
Career
Career
IBM Japan
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1964 | Joined |
Recruit Holdings
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1969 | Joined |
| 1976 | Director, General Manager, Sales Headquarters |
| 1984 | Senior Managing Director |
| Jan 1988 | Representative Director, President |
| Jun 1997 | Senior Advisor |
| Jun 1997 | Stepped down as President |