Takashi Kitaoka
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined the company in 1955. While working on elevators at the Inazawa Works in Aichi Prefecture, he thoroughly improved the AC elevator, then regarded as a cheap product, and expanded market share just as the recession ended. In 1985 he became manager of the Kita-Itami Works as head of semiconductors. He was the first president not to come from heavy electrical machinery.
Selection
In 1992 he was chosen from among three candidates and became president. His predecessor, Moriya Shiki, cited his sense of balance and leadership as the reasons for the choice. He had broad experience from core fields to advanced technologies and was expected to balance the various businesses. In the fiscal year ended March 1992, consolidated net sales were ¥3,343.3 billion and ordinary income ¥108.4 billion, and Mitsubishi Electric at the time was described as one of the large companies most removed from change.
Initiatives
Vowing to make a company content in perpetual third place into the industry leader, he adopted the selection and concentration of General Electric Chairman Jack Welch as his guiding principle. In the 1993 reorganization into nine business groups, he raised the approval limit for group heads from ¥100 million to ¥500 million, cutting matters brought to the managing directors' meeting by 60%. He abolished seniority-based personnel and pay systems and introduced internal job postings. Semiconductor investment reached about ¥300.0 billion on a consolidated basis from 1994 to 1996, and in February 1998 the company decided, at the same time as Oki Electric Industry, to withdraw from the commodity DRAM business.
Career
Career
Mitsubishi Electric
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jun 1992 | President |
| 1998 | Stepped down as President |