So Hirota

Profile
Tenure
May 1969 – Jun 1981
Years in office
12.1 years
Name in Japanese
広田宗
Title at appointment
President
Performance in office
Odakyu Electric Railway
Performance in office
FY1969FY1981Change
Revenue¥16.5billion¥70.3billion+326%
Net margin6.7%3.1%−3.6pt
AndoHirotaToshimitsu
Revenue¥8.7 billionRevenue¥40.8 billionRevenue¥96.2 billionNet margin7.6%Net margin4.7%Net margin2.7%1965/31970/31975/31980/31985/3
Revenue¥8.7 billionRevenue¥40.8 billionRevenue¥96.2 billionNet margin7.6%Net margin4.7%Net margin2.7%1965/31970/31975/31980/31985/3
API: /api/9007/financials_history.csv · /api/9007/financials/pl.json
Tenure

Tenure

Background

He graduated from Tokyo University of Commerce in March 1932 and joined Mitsubishi Bank in April that year. He became Fukuoka Branch Manager in May 1960 and a Director in May 1961, and in May 1963 moved to the Odakyu group as Senior Managing Director of Odakyu Department Store. He became a Director of Odakyu Electric Railway in May 1964 and Senior Managing Director in November 1965, and in May 1967 also became President of Manazuru Kogyo. He entered the parent from banking and retail without passing through railway operations.

Education: Tokyo University of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University) (1932)

Selection

In May 1969 his predecessor Naroku Ando moved to Representative Director and Chairman, and he became President that month. As Chairman, Ando also chaired Odakyu Real Estate and, from October 1973, Odakyu Department Store. Hirota had entered the Odakyu group as Senior Managing Director of the department store in May 1963, and had five years on the railway parent's board. In the same month of May 1969, Motoyoshi Shibata, a former Managing Director of Japanese National Railways, became Executive Vice President, placing a banker and a railwayman side by side.

Initiatives

Over his 12 years he extended the network into Tama. The company opened the Tama Line (Shin-Yurigaoka to Odakyu Nagayama) in June 1974 and began through-service with the Chiyoda subway line in March 1978. Non-consolidated revenue grew 3.7 times from ¥19.0 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1970, his first year, to ¥70.3 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1981, his last. Ordinary profit over the same period rose only from ¥1.7 billion to ¥3.0 billion, falling to ¥1.3 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1977.

Career

Career

Mitsubishi Bank

Date Position
1961 Director

Odakyu Department Store

Date Position
1963 Senior Managing Director

Odakyu Electric Railway

Date Position
1964 Director
1965 Senior Managing Director
May 1969 President
Jun 1981 Chairman
Jun 1981 Stepped down as President
References 2

References (Japanese primary sources)