Tetsuro Higashi
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined the company in April 1977, became a Director in December 1990 and Managing Director in April 1994. He became President in June 1996 at the age of 46 and moved to Chairman in June 2003. In April 2013 he returned as President while remaining Chairman, serving until January 2016.
Selection
In June 1996 he succeeded Akira Inoue as President at the age of 46. In the fiscal year ended March 1996, the year before, consolidated net sales were ¥401.7 billion and net income ¥30.9 billion, two years after the company's October 1994 full switch to direct sales in Europe and the United States. The effect of direct sales showed up in the numbers during his tenure, with the company's U.S. equipment share rising from 8% at the end of 1995 to 34% at the end of 1999.
Initiatives
In 1998 the company separated directors from executive officers, in 1999 set up a compensation committee and disclosed the pay of its four Representative Directors individually, and in November 2000 launched a nominating committee of three directors. In March 2003 the board, acting on the committee's recommendation, chose 46-year-old Kiyoshi Sato, who had no experience as an officer, as the next President. In April 2013 Higashi returned as President while remaining Chairman, and in September of that year announced a business combination with Applied Materials of the United States. In April 2015 the combination agreement was terminated after the parties failed to resolve antitrust reviews.
Career
Career
Tokyo Electron
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1977 | Joined |
| Dec 1990 | Director |
| Apr 1994 | Managing Director |
| Jun 1996 | President |
| Jun 2003 | Chairman |
| Jun 2003 | Stepped down as President |
| Apr 2013 | Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer |
| Jun 2015 | President and Chief Executive Officer |
| Jan 2016 | Stepped down as President |