Yoshitaka Kitao
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined Nomura Securities in 1974, worked in corporate sales and became General Manager of Corporate Finance Department No. 3 in 1992. He moved to SoftBank as Managing Director in June 1995, and in March 1999 became Representative Director of SoftBank Finance, which oversaw its financial operating companies. Although he was the founder, the seed capital came from the parent, and his own holding was only 1.34%, ranking seventh, in the shareholder register for the fiscal year ended March 2006, the year of capital independence.
Selection
In March 1999, in a business reorganization accompanying SoftBank's conversion to a pure holding company, its administration division was spun off as SoftBank Finance. In July that year SoftBank Investment was established as its subsidiary to conduct venture capital business. Its President was Yoshitaka Kitao, the Managing Director who had handled SoftBank's finances for four years from 1995. It had capital of ¥50 million, 55 employees, a single shareholder and zero sales. Masayoshi Son appears to have redeployed the skills Kitao had honed handling corporate funds at Nomura Securities to the side of launching a financial business.
Initiatives
In June 2003 the company merged with E*Trade, making online securities a subsidiary, and in August 2006 it dissolved its capital ties with the SoftBank Group. In 2007 SBI Japannext entered nighttime stock trading, and SBI Sumishin Net Bank obtained a banking license, marking entry into banking. From 2019 the company built up capital and business alliances with regional banks and advanced a "fourth megabank" concept, and in 2021 it made Shinsei Bank a subsidiary through a tender offer at ¥2,000 per share. In September 2023 SBI Securities made online domestic stock trading commissions free.
Career
Career
Nomura Securities
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1974 | Joined |
| Jun 1992 | General Manager, Business Corporate No. 3 Department |
SoftBank
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jun 1995 | Managing Director |
| Mar 1999 | Representative Director, SoftBank Finance |
SBI Holdings
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Jul 1999 | Representative Director, President |
| Jun 2003 | Representative Director, Executive Officer, CEO |
| Jun 2012 | Representative Director, Executive Officer, President |
| Jul 2022 | Representative Director, Chairman and President |