Shinzo Okada

Profile
Tenure
Nov 1961 – Jan 1975
Years in office
13.2 years
Name in Japanese
岡田辰三
Title at appointment
President
Performance in office
GS Yuasa
Performance in office
FY1967FY1974Change
Revenue¥13.2billion¥41.4billion+214%
Net margin3%2.4%−0.6pt
Okada
Revenue¥21.3 billionRevenue¥74.7 billionNet margin2.3%Net margin2.3%1967/31970/31975/31980/3
Revenue¥21.3 billionRevenue¥74.7 billionNet margin2.3%Net margin2.3%1967/31970/31975/31980/3
API: /api/6674/financials_history.csv · /api/6674/financials/pl.json
Tenure

Tenure

Background

He graduated from the Department of Industrial Chemistry in the Faculty of Engineering at Kyoto Imperial University in March 1921 and from June 1940 was a professor in Kyoto University's Faculty of Engineering, serving as dean of engineering and dean of general education. He retired from Kyoto University in August 1958, becoming professor emeritus, and in September that year was brought into Japan Storage Battery as an adviser. He was a manager who came from research in industrial chemistry, not a career employee who built his career inside the company.

Education: Kyoto Imperial University, Faculty of Engineering, Industrial Chemistry (now Kyoto University, Faculty of Engineering) (1921)

Selection

The year after joining as adviser, he became a Director in November 1959, Managing Director in May 1960 and Executive Vice President in April 1961, and became President in November that year. His predecessor Kagenori Yamaoka had been President for over 15 years from February 1946 and moved to Chairman in the same month of November 1961. Yamaoka had also graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering in Kyoto Imperial University's Faculty of Engineering, in July 1912, and former Kyoto University president Risaburo Torikai also sat on the board. The appointment appears to have reflected personal ties to Kyoto University.

Initiatives

During his 13 years in office, divisions were set up one by one for each product field. A lighting division appeared in May 1962 and an electrical equipment division in April 1965, and in February 1969 heads of the industrial electrical equipment, battery production and automotive battery sales divisions and the director of the research laboratory were all appointed at once. He withdrew to Chairman in January 1975 and was succeeded by Motoshige Sakata, who had joined in 1939.

Career

Career

Kyoto University

Date Position
Jun 1940 Engineering Department, Professor
Aug 1958 定年退官・名誉教授 (translation pending)

Japan Storage Battery

Date Position
Sep 1958 Advisor
Nov 1959 Director
May 1960 Managing Director
Apr 1961 Executive Vice President
Nov 1961 President
Jan 1975 Chairman
Jan 1975 Stepped down as President
References 4

References (Japanese primary sources)