Hinko Watanabe
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
After serving in the Second Personnel Section of the personnel department and as head of the labor section at Sumitomo's head office, he moved to NEC and became Managing Director. NEC was a company whose management I.S.E. had entrusted to Sumitomo's head office in June 1932, and in February 1943 it had changed its name to Sumitomo Communication Industries. He was an executive sent in from Sumitomo's personnel side, without the backing of ownership that a founding family would have.
Selection
In June 1947 he was promoted from Managing Director to President. The company had seen the shares held by I.S.E. disposed of as enemy property in December 1941, ending the capital tie-up, and had just restored the name NEC in November 1945 after changing it to Sumitomo Communication Industries in February 1943. The task of rebuilding relations with both the foreign partner and Sumitomo fell to a Managing Director from Sumitomo's personnel side.
Initiatives
The company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in May 1949 and restored its capital tie-up with I.S.E. in November 1951. As of November 1955, I.S.E. headed the major shareholders, followed by Sumitomo Life, Sumitomo Bank and Sumitomo Electric Industries. In April 1961 it moved to a six-division structure covering communications equipment, radio equipment, electronic equipment, electronic components, merchandise and overseas, and in October that year moved to the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In January 1963 it established Nippon Electric New York in the US.
Career
Career
Sumitomo Honsha
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Human Resources Department, Human Resources No. 2 Section | |
| Manager, Labor Section, Human Resources Department |
NEC
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Managing Director | |
| Jun 1947 | President |
| Nov 1964 | Chairman |
| Nov 1964 | Stepped down as President |