Tadashi Ishikawa
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
A career insider, he rose to the board and advanced from Director and Executive Vice President to president, a choice from neither the founding family nor the engineering side. As of March 2006 the shareholders were led by corporations, with Toyota Motor at 23.51%, Denso at 9.1% and Towa Real Estate at 4.82%, while the U.S. Third Avenue Value Fund ranked fifth with 4.26%. He was president at a time when foreign asset managers were appearing among the top shareholders.
Selection
He succeeded Chisei Isogai as president in 1998. During his predecessor's six years, joint ventures had been set up in China, France and India, widening the overseas production network. Consolidated net sales were ¥572.6 billion and net income ¥20.4 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1998, falling to ¥558.8 billion and ¥10.3 billion in FY ended March 1999. The challenge for the company he inherited was how to grow its domestically top-ranked forklift business worldwide.
Initiatives
In July 2000 the company acquired BT Industries of Sweden, the world leader in small indoor materials-handling equipment, for SEK 7.7 billion, taking over 90% and making it a subsidiary. Its global share of industrial materials-handling equipment rose from 13% to 21%, reaching consolidated sales of $5.8 billion and about 20,000 employees. In April 2001 it took over the L&F sales division from Toyota Motor, and in August that year changed its name to Toyota Industries. In May 2003 it made aerial work platform maker Aichi Corporation a subsidiary.
Career
Career
Toyota Industries
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1998 | President |
| Jun 2005 | Stepped down as President |