Masao Kinoshita
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Tokyo in 1914, he graduated from the University of Tokyo's Department of Naval Architecture in 1937. He became an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo in 1940 and joined Hitachi Zosen in 1949. He became a Director in November 1964, Managing Director in November 1967 and head of the Technology Headquarters that December, Executive Vice President in November 1973, and President in June 1979. A naval architect who had moved from academia, he reached the presidency by leading the Technology Headquarters.
Selection
In June 1979 he succeeded Takao Nagata as President. Nagata remained as Chairman, and there was talk at the time of rule from behind the scenes. With the shipbuilding industry in difficulty, Masao Kinoshita made it his policy on taking office to deal with matters calmly rather than pushing things to extremes. In the fiscal year ended March 1979, the year before, non-consolidated net sales were ¥257.7 billion, down ¥87.2 billion from ¥344.9 billion the previous year.
Initiatives
In the fiscal year ended March 1980, the year after he took office, non-consolidated ordinary income fell to ¥0.6 billion, down ¥6.7 billion from ¥7.3 billion the previous year. It then recovered to net sales of ¥484.0 billion and ordinary income of ¥13.2 billion in FY ended March 1982, and ¥501.1 billion and ¥17.0 billion in FY ended March 1983. Earnings were shifting beyond shipbuilding: as of 1981 the subsidiary Hitachi Zosen Engineering was handling municipal waste incinerators, industrial waste and wastewater treatment facilities, and district heating and cooling systems. Waste-to-energy, which would later become a mainstay, was growing in a subsidiary during this period.
Career
Career
University of Tokyo
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1940 | Associate Professor |
Hitachi Zosen
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1949 | Joined |
| Nov 1964 | Director |
| Nov 1967 | Managing Director |
| Dec 1967 | General Manager, Engineering Headquarters |
| Nov 1973 | Executive Vice President |
| Jun 1979 | President |
| Jun 1983 | Stepped down as President |
References 2
References (Japanese primary sources)
- 日本企業要覧 1979年版
- 日経ビジネス 1979年7月2日号「新社長登場 木下昌雄氏（日立造船）」