Hiroshi Watanabe
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
Born in Tokyo in 1923, he graduated from Waseda University in 1947 and joined Tokyo Gas in August of that year. He served as Deputy General Manager of the Sales Department from April 1968, Deputy General Manager of the Methane Straight Supply Division from September 1969, and General Manager of the Methane Straight Conversion Department from April 1970. He became head of the Kanagawa branch in May 1971, Director and General Manager of the Materials Department in September 1972, Managing Director in September 1973, and Senior Managing Director and head of the Pipeline Division in January 1977. His career was spent continuously on the sales and pipeline front lines.
Selection
In July 1981 he succeeded Takeo Murakami as President, after four years and six months as Senior Managing Director and head of the Pipeline Division. As General Manager of the Methane Straight Conversion Department in April 1970 he had prepared the calorific value conversion, and by the time he took office nine years had passed since work began. Also in July 1981, Minoru Ikushima and Kazuo Yoshida became Executive Vice Presidents, and all three, including Watanabe, belonged to the generation that graduated from university in 1947.
Initiatives
The calorific value conversion that began in June 1972 continued during his tenure and was completed across the entire service area in October 1988. The process took 16 years and four months from the start, and his time in office covered its latter half. In procurement, LNG imports from Malaysia began in February 1983, adding a third gas-producing country after Alaska and Brunei. The feedstock switch begun in 1969 came full circle as it reached customers' gas appliances.
Career
Career
Tokyo Gas
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Aug 1947 | Joined |
| Sep 1972 | Director |
| Jul 1981 | President |
| 1989 | Chairman |
| 1989 | Stepped down as President |