Shigeo Kitamura
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Shiga in 1915, he graduated from Hikone Higher Commercial School in March 1935. He joined Olympus Optical in September 1951, became a Director in December 1964 and head of the Overseas Division in December 1966. He rose to Managing Director in December 1969, a Director of Aizu Olympus in June 1970, head of Olympus Optical's Sales Division and General Administration Division in November 1971, and Senior Managing Director in June 1972. He was a career employee who came up through exports and sales.
Selection
In December 1973, Takeshi Kanbe stepped back to Representative Director and Chairman, and Kitamura became Representative Director and President. Kanbe was an outsider who had come from Nippon Life Insurance, and his tenure as President lasted only a year and a half from June 1972. Kitamura had overseen exports as head of the Overseas Division since December 1966. In the fiscal year ended October 1973, when he took office, non-consolidated net sales were ¥26.6 billion and ordinary income ¥2.4 billion, a recovery from ¥20.6 billion and ¥0.7 billion the year before.
Initiatives
In March 1977 the company established Olympus Camera Corporation in the United States, strengthening camera sales. In February 1980 it moved its head office to Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, and in November 1981 opened the Tatsuno facility in Kamiina District, Nagano Prefecture. Non-consolidated net sales grew from ¥26.6 billion in the fiscal year ended October 1973 to ¥81.0 billion in the FY ended October 1979 and ¥108.9 billion in the FY ended October 1982. Ordinary income halved from ¥14.4 billion in the FY ended October 1982 to ¥6.6 billion in the FY ended October 1983, his last year as President.
Career
Career
Dai-Ichi Bank
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1935 | Joined |
Olympus Optical
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Sep 1951 | Joined |
| 1964 | Director |
| 1969 | Managing Director |
| 1971 | Senior Managing Director |
| Dec 1973 | Representative Director, President |
| Feb 1984 | Representative Director, Chairman |
| Feb 1984 | Stepped down as President |