Yutaka Kume
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Nissan Motor in 1946, became manager of the Yoshiwara plant in 1971, and in 1973 became a Director while also managing the Tochigi plant, completed only in March 1971. He became Managing Director in 1977, Senior Managing Director in 1982 and Executive Vice President in 1983. Whereas his predecessor Takashi Ishihara had risen from heading planning and accounting, Kume came from production, moving from plant to plant.
Selection
In June 1985 he succeeded Takashi Ishihara as President. During Ishihara's eight years, net sales grew from ¥2,024.6 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1977 to ¥3,618.1 billion in FY ended March 1985. Meanwhile, the confrontation with the Federation of Nissan Motor Workers' Unions, wary of hollowing out at home, had peaked over the UK expansion, and Kume declared that the first thing to break was the bureaucratic "flounder organization" that looked only inward. The appointment placed an Executive Vice President who had worked the plants in charge.
Initiatives
He introduced the practice of addressing one another as "san" rather than by title, along with merit-based pay, and redefined labor relations around the respective roles of the company and the union. In December 1986 he concluded a comprehensive agreement with the federation's new leadership, converting the Central Management Council into the Central Labor-Management Council. His tenure took on the renewal of corporate culture before rebuilding finances. In the interim period ended September 1986, the year after he took office, the company fell into its first operating loss in 50 years, excluding the postwar turmoil, and slipped to third in the industry after being overtaken by Honda in consolidated net income. Overseas, it established Nissan Europe in April 1989 and Nissan North America in January 1990.
Career
Career
Nissan Motor
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| 1946 | Joined |
| 1971 | 吉原工場長 (translation pending) |
| 1973 | Director |
| 1977 | Managing Director |
| 1982 | Senior Managing Director |
| 1983 | Executive Vice President |
| Jun 1985 | President |
| Jun 1992 | Stepped down as President |
| Jun 1992 | Stepped down as President |