Masanobu Matsukata
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Tokyo in 1907, he graduated from Keio University's Faculty of Economics in March 1932 and in April that year joined the predecessor company, Tokyo Gas Electric Engineering. He became Director and General Manager in November 1945, Managing Director in December 1946, Senior Managing Director in December 1950 and Executive Vice President in November 1954. He belonged to the generation that joined the board in the year the war ended, and from December 1953 also served as a Director of Sawafuji Electric.
Selection
In May 1961 he succeeded Shoji Okubo as President. Okubo had been President since October 1946 and became Chairman in the same month of May 1961. The managing directors at the time were Kiyoshi Iemoto, Kyoji Muto, Ryoichi Takada and Masashi Arakawa, all of whom had joined the board in December 1946 or later; Matsukata, who became Director and General Manager in November 1945, was the earliest. The promotion appears to have come after six and a half years as Executive Vice President.
Initiatives
In October 1966 he concluded a business alliance with Toyota Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Sales, and in December 1967 halted development of the Contessa's successor and withdrew from passenger cars. The nationwide sales network was built for commercial vehicle users, and expanding passenger car sales did not work. In 1972 he launched "Operation D," targeting a 35% share of heavy-duty trucks, and in May 1973 the company took the industry lead at 33.1%. Non-consolidated net sales grew from ¥53.6 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1967 to ¥194.9 billion in the FY ended March 1974, the year he stepped down.
Career
Career
Tokyo Gas Electric Engineering
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1932 | Joined |
Hino Motors
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Nov 1945 | Director, General Manager |
| Dec 1946 | Managing Director |
| Dec 1950 | Senior Managing Director |
| Nov 1954 | Executive Vice President |
| May 1961 | President |
| May 1974 | Chairman |
| May 1974 | Stepped down as President |
Sawafuji Electric
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Dec 1953 | Director |