Biography

as of March 25, 2024

For the reasons for elections as directors and auditors, please refer to the Notice of 2023 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.
Notice of 2023 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (PDF: 1.1MB/52P)

About concurrent positions, please refer to Yokogawa Corporate Governance Report.
Yokogawa Corporate Governance Report (PDF:728KB/40P)

Hitoshi Nara

Photo:Hitoshi Nara
President and Chief Executive Officer
Hitoshi Nara
Date of birth: Jan. 23, 1963

Mr. Hitoshi Nara properly supervises management as a Director. He has spearheaded the execution of business as President and Chief Executive Officer since FY2019 after being engaged in operations for the sales department of the Company’s industrial automation and control business, serving as President of domestic and overseas subsidiaries and working on the launch of new business, and has abundant experience and track records as a corporate manager. Because he is expected to continuously contribute to improvement of corporate value and strengthening of the decision-making function and the management supervision function of the Board of Directors by utilizing his experience in management and track records, he has been elected as Director.

Apr. 1985 Joined the Company
Oct. 2001 Deputy Managing Director of Yokogawa Engineering Asia Pte. Ltd.
Oct. 2003 Managing Director of Yokogawa (Thailand) Ltd.
Jan. 2007 Head of Sales Div. I, Industrial Solutions Business Headquarters
Apr. 2010 Senior Vice President, Head of Industrial Solutions Business Headquarters
Jun. 2011 Director and Senior Vice President, Head of Industrial Solutions Business Headquarters
Apr. 2012 Director and Senior Vice President, Head of Industrial Solutions Service Business Headquarters
Apr. 2013 Director of the Company, President of Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation
Apr. 2017 Director and Executive Vice President of the Company, Chief Executive for Japan and Korea, President of Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation
Apr. 2018 Director and Executive Vice President of the Company, Head of Life Innovation Business Headquarters
Apr. 2019 President and Chief Executive Officer(present)

Number of years since appointment as a Director: 12 years

Junichi Anabuki

Photo:Junichi Anabuki
Director and Senior Executive Vice President
Junichi Anabuki
Date of birth: Mar. 18, 1963

Mr. Junichi Anabuki properly supervises management as a Director. He possesses many years of operational experience in the Company’s corporate administration & treasury department, demonstrates his high ability and expertise in management as Head of Corporate Administration Headquarters until FY2022, and has abundant experience and track records. Because he is expected to continuously contribute to improvement of corporate value and strengthening of the decision-making function and the management supervision function of the Board of Directors by utilizing his experience and wide knowledge, he has been elected as Director.

Apr. 1986 Joined Fukutoku Sogo Bank, Ltd.
Mar. 1992 Joined the Company
Jan. 2005 General Manager, Treasury Department
Apr. 2011 Vice President, Head of Accounting & Treasury Headquarters
Jun. 2014 Director and Vice President of the Company, Head of Accounting & Treasury Headquarters
Apr. 2016 Director and Senior Vice President of the Company, Head of Accounting & Treasury Headquarters
Apr. 2018 Director and Senior Vice President of the Company, Head of Corporate Administration Headquarters
Apr. 2019 Director and Executive Vice President of the Company, Head of Corporate Administration Headquarters
Apr. 2023 Director and Senior Executive Vice President, Assistant to the President in charge of special missions (present)

Number of years since appointment as a Director: 9 years

Yu Dai

Photo:Yu Dai
Director and Senior Vice President
Yu Dai
Date of birth: Feb. 25, 1963

Mr. Yu Dai properly supervises management as a Director. He experienced administrative operations for projects and corporate management at several global companies in petroleum and chemical industries, then became the Chief Executive of subsidiary in the ASEAN and Pacific region, currently leads the solution business, one of core businesses in the industrial automation and control business, and has abundant experience and track records. Because he is expected to contribute to improvement of corporate value and strengthening of the decision-making function and the management supervision function of the Board of Directors by utilizing his wide experience and knowledge, he has been elected as Director.

Aug. 1990 Joined SINOPEC Yangzi Petrochemical Corporation
Jan. 1994 Deputy Project Director at Yangzi-BASF Styrenics Company Ltd.
Jun. 1998 Project Director of BASF/SINOPEC JV Integrated Petrochemical Site (IPS) Project at SINOPEC
Apr. 2001 GM of Base Chemicals Division at BASF-YPC Company Ltd.
Jan. 2003 Low Olefins Plant Manager at CNOOC and Shell Petrochemical Company Ltd.
Nov. 2006 GM of Base Chemicals for Asia Pacific / Middle East at Shell Chemicals
Jan. 2009 Project GM at Shell China
Nov. 2012 CEO of Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte. Ltd.
Oct. 2015 Joined Yokogawa Electric International Pte. Ltd.
GM of China Sales Strategy Center
Apr. 2016 President of Yokogawa China Investment Co., Ltd.
President of Yokogawa China Co., Ltd.
Apr. 2017 Vice President of the Company, Chief Executive for ASEAN and Pacific, and President of Yokogawa China Investment Co., Ltd.
Apr. 2019 Senior Vice President of the Company, Head of Digital Enterprise Business Headquarters
Jun. 2019 Director and Senior Vice President of the Company, Head of Digital Enterprise Business Headquarters
Apr. 2021 Director and Senior Vice President of the Company, Head of Digital Solutions Headquaters (present)

Number of years since appointment as a Director: 4 years

Shiro Sugata

Photo:Shiro Sugata
Outside Director
Shiro Sugata
Date of birth: Nov. 17, 1949

Mr. Shiro Sugata properly supervises management as an Outside Director. He was appointed as an Outside Director so that he can contribute to greater operational fairness, objectivity, and transparency with respect to supervising the management of the Company based on his wide knowledge as a corporate manager, his abundant experience in the development and marketing of industrial instruments, and his extensive expertise in global business.

Apr. 1972 Joined USHIO INC.
Jan. 1993 President of BLV LICHT-UND VAKUUMTECHNIK GmbH
Jun. 2000 Director and Corporate Senior Vice President of USHIO INC.
Apr. 2001 Director and General Manager of Lamp Division II of USHIO INC.
Apr. 2003 Director and Lamp Company President, COO of USHIO INC.
Apr. 2004 Director and Corporate Executive Vice President of USHIO INC.
Jun. 2004 Representative Director and Corporate Executive Vice President of USHIO INC.
Mar. 2005 President and CEO of USHIO INC.
Oct. 2014 Director and Corporate Advisor of USHIO INC.
Jun. 2016 Corporate Advisor of USHIO INC.
Director of the Company (present)
Jul. 2017 Special Corporate Advisor of USHIO INC. (retired in April 2021)

Number of years since appointment as an Outside Director: 7 years

Concurrent Positions

Outside Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of YAMATO HOLDINGS CO., LTD.

Akira Uchida

Photo:Akira Uchida
Outside Director
Akira Uchida
Date of birth: Oct. 4, 1950

Mr. Akira Uchida properly supervises management as an Outside Director. He was appointed as an Outside Director so that he can contribute to greater operational fairness, objectivity, and transparency with respect to supervision of management of the Company based on his wide knowledge as a corporate manager and wide experience in the corporate administration field centered on the Finance and Controller’s Division.

Apr. 1975 Joined Toray Industries, Inc.
Jun. 1996 Executive Vice President of Toray Industries (America), Inc.
Jun. 2000 Senior Manager of Corporate Planning 1st Department and Corporate Communications Department, Toray Industries, Inc.
Jun. 2004 Associate Director of Corporate Planning Department and Investor Relations Department, Toray Industries, Inc.
Jun. 2005 Vice President (Member of the Board), General Manager of Finance & Controller's Division, Toray Industries, Inc.
President of Toray Holding (U.S.A.), Inc.
Jun. 2009 Senior Vice President (Member of the Board), General Manager of Finance & Controller's Division, Toray Industries, Inc.
President of Toray Holding (U.S.A.), Inc.
Jun. 2012 Senior Vice President (Member of the Board), Chief Investor Relations Officer, Chief Social Responsibility Officer, General Supervisor for General Administration & Legal Division, Corporate Communications Department, Advertising Department, General Manager of Tokyo Head Office, Toray Industries, Inc.
Jun. 2016 Counselor, Toray Industries, Inc. (retired in March 2019)
Jun. 2019 Director of the Company (present)

Number of years since appointment as a Director: 4 years

Concurrent Positions

Outside Director, J. FRONT RETAILING Co., Ltd.
Auditor, Suga Weathering Technology Foundation

Kuniko Urano

Photo:Kuniko Urano
Outside Director
Kuniko Urano
Date of birth: Oct. 19, 1956

Ms. Kuniko Urano properly supervises management as an Outside Director. She was appointed as an Outside Director so that she can contribute to greater operational fairness, objectivity, and transparency with respect to supervision of management of the Company based on her wide knowledge as a corporate manager and wide experience in divisions of production, personnel/education, public relations/CSR, etc., in major manufacturing companies.

Apr. 1979 Joined Komatsu Ltd
Apr. 2005 General Manager of Logistics Planning Department, Production Division of Komatsu Ltd
Apr. 2010 General Manager of Corporate Communications Department of Komatsu Ltd
Apr. 2011 Executive Officer, General Manager of Corporate Communications Department of Komatsu Ltd
Apr. 2014 Executive Officer, General Manager of Human Resources Department of Komatsu Ltd
Apr. 2016 Senior Executive Officer, General Manager of Human Resources Department of Komatsu Ltd
Jun. 2018 Director and Senior Executive Officer of Komatsu Ltd
Apr. 2021 Director of Komatsu Ltd (retired in June 2021)
Jun. 2021 Director of the Company (present)
Jul. 2021 Senior Adviser of Komatsu Ltd (present)

Number of years since appointment as a Director: 2 years

Concurrent Positions

Senior Adviser of Komatsu Ltd.
Outside Director of MORINAGA & CO., LTD.
Outside Director of NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
Director of JAPAN RUGBY LEAGUE ONE

Takuya Hirano

Photo:Kuniko Urano
Outside Director
Takuya Hirano
Date of Birth: Aug. 11, 1970

Mr. Takuya Hirano properly supervises management as an Outside Director. He was appointed as an Outside Director so that he can contribute to greater operational fairness, objectivity, and transparency with respect to supervision of management of the Company based on his wide knowledge as a corporate manager and wide-ranging practical experience in the business divisions of a global IT firm.

Dec. 1995 Joined Kanematsu USA
Feb. 1998 Joined Hyperion Solutions Corporation (the present Oracle Corporation)
Feb. 2001 President of Hyperion Solutions Japan
Aug. 2005 Senior Director, Business & Marketing Division of Microsoft Co., Ltd. (the present Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.)
Feb. 2006 General Manager, Enterprise Service of Microsoft Co., Ltd.
Jul. 2007 General Manager, Enterprise Business & Enterprise Service of Microsoft Co., Ltd.
Mar. 2008 General Manager, Enterprise Business of Microsoft Co., Ltd.
Sep. 2011 General Manager, Multi-country of Microsoft Central and Eastern Europe
Jul. 2014 Executive Vice President, Marketing & Operations of Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.,
Mar. 2015 Representative Officer, Executive Deputy President of Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.
Jul. 2015 President of Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. (retired in August 2019)
Sep. 2019 Vice President, Global Service Partner Business of Microsoft Corporation (retired in September 2022)
Jun. 2022 Director of the Company (present)

Number of years since appointment as a Director: 1 year

Concurrent Positions

Co-founder of Three Fields Advisors LLC
Founder of Crosspoint LLC
Chairman (Part-time Member) of Yayoi Co., Ltd.
Outside Director of Renesas Electronics Corporation
Director (Part-time Member) of JAPAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Yujiro Goto

Photo:Yujiro Goto
Outside Director
Yujiro Goto
Date of Birth: May 4, 1957
Newly elected

Mr. Yujiro Goto has a wealth of experience and expertise in leading production strategies in the field of production and production engineering at a major global manufacturing company for a long time, and as CEO, he has worked on corporate transformation, human resource reform, new business development, and M&A. He was appointed as an Outside Director so that he can contribute to greater operational fairness, objectivity, and transparency with respect to supervising management of the Company based on his such experiences.

Apr. 1980 Joined Nippon Shokubai Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.(the present NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO.,LTD.)
Apr. 2011 Deputy Director of Production Div., and General Manager of production & technology Dept. of NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
Apr. 2012 Plant Manager of Kawasaki Plant of NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
Jun. 2012 Executive Officer, Plant Manager of Kawasaki Plant of NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
Jun. 2015 Member of the Board, Managing Executive officer in charge of production and technology departments of NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
Apr. 2017 President and Representative Member of the Board of NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
Jun. 2022 Member of the Board, Chairman of NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
Jun. 2023 Advisor of NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD. (present)
Director of the Company (present)

Concurrent Positions

Advisor of NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO., LTD.
Director, Member of Policy Coordinating Committee of Japan Chemical Industry Association
Vice Chairman of Kansai Chemical Industry Association

Hajime Watanabe

Photo:Hajime Watanabe
Audit & Supervisory Board, Standing Member
Hajime Watanabe
Date of birth: Aug. 17, 1962

Mr. Hajime Watanabe is well-versed in the Group’s business through his many years of experience in the management of the accounting and treasury department and overseas subsidiaries, and the operation of the business divisions. Most recently, he has been serving as head of the Company’s Audit, Compliance and Quality Assurance Headquarters. He has been elected as an Audit & Supervisory Board member because he is expected to execute effective auditing that reflects such knowledge and experience.

Apr. 1987 Joined the Company
Oct. 2001 Section Chief Manager of Affiliated Company Management Department, Marketing Center
Apr. 2004 General Manager of Affiliated Company Management Office, Accounting & Treasury Center
Apr. 2005 Director, Yokogawa Electric International Pte. Ltd. (Singapore)
Apr. 2009 YEI Headquarters Office, Global Business Headquarters of the Company
Apr. 2013 General Manager of Overseas Business Management Department, Accounting & Treasury Headquarters
Apr. 2014 Vice President, Head of Audit and Compliance Headquarters
Apr. 2015 Vice President, Head of Audit, Compliance and Quality Assurance Headquarters
Apr. 2016 Vice President, Head of Corporate Administration Headquarters
Apr. 2018 Vice President, Head of Audit, Compliance and Quality Assurance Headquarters
Apr. 2020 Audit, Compliance and Quality Assurance Headquarters
Jun. 2020 Audit & Supervisory Board, Standing Member (present)

Number of years since appointment as a member of the audit & supervisory board: 3 years

Kenji Hasegawa

Photo:Kenji Hasegawa
Audit & Supervisory Board, Standing Member
Kenji Hasegawa
Date of birth: Apr. 18, 1962
Newly elected

Mr. Kenji Hasegawa is well-versed in the organization and business of the Group, mainly in the Control Business which is our main business. He has experience in a wide range of operations in the Control System Division, including engineering, sales, and business planning. Since 2019, he has served as the head of the Control Product Division. He has been elected as an Audit & Supervisory Board member because he is expected to execute effective auditing that reflects such knowledge and experience.

Apr. 1985 Joined the Company
Apr. 2004 Head of Planning Department, ETS Development Div., Solution Headquarters
Oct. 2005 Head of Marketing Department, ETS Development Div., Solution Headquarters
Apr. 2008 Vice President, Head of Information Engineering Div., and Head of Business Planning Department of Yokogawa Solutions Co. (the present Yokogawa Solution Service Corporation)
Apr. 2009 Head of Planning Group, Marketing Div., IA Headquarters of the Company,
Jul. 2010 Head of Marketing planning Dept., Business Planning Div., IA-MK Headquarters
Apr. 2014 Head of Business promotion Center, IA Platform Headquarters
Apr. 2017 Head of Product Sales Center, IA Product & Service Headquarters
Apr. 2019 Vice President, Head of IA Product & Service Headquarters
Apr. 2021 Vice President, Head of Yokogawa Products Headquarters
Apr. 2023 Audit & QHSE Headquarters
Jun. 2023 Audit & Supervisory Board, Standing Member (present)

Yasuko Takayama

Photo:Yasuko Takayama
Outside Member, Audit & Supervisory Board
Yasuko Takayama
Date of birth: Mar. 8, 1958

Ms. Yasuko Takayama worked for a major company in the consumer market where she gained extensive practical experience, including responsibility for CSR, and acting as a full-time audit and supervisory board member. She also has a wealth of experience as an outside executive at various companies. Accordingly, she was appointed as an Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member because she is expected to execute effective auditing that reflects such experience.

Apr. 1980 Joined Shiseido Co., Ltd.
Apr. 2005 General Manager, Website Planning Group, Consumer Information Center
Apr. 2006 General Manager, Consumer Information Center
Oct. 2008 General Manager, Consumer Relations Department
Apr. 2009 General Manager, Social Affairs and Consumer Relations Department
Apr. 2010 General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility Department
Jun. 2011 Full-time Audit & Supervisory Board Member
Jun. 2015 Advisor (retired in June 2017)
Jun. 2017 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company (present)

Number of years since appointment as an Outside member of the audit & supervisory board: 6 years

Concurrent Positions

Outside Director, The Chiba Bank, Ltd.
Outside Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member), Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Ltd.

Makoto Ohsawa

Photo:Makoto Ohsawa
Outside Member, Audit & Supervisory Board
Makoto Ohsawa
Date of birth:Feb. 20, 1959

Mr. Makoto Ohsawa has wide knowledge based on his perspective as an experienced corporate manager and his extensive range of business activities in the economic circles, as well as experience acting as a full-time audit and supervisory board member, and also has a wealth of experience acting as an outside executive at various companies. He was appointed as an outside Audit & Supervisory Board member because he is expected to execute high-quality auditing that reflects such experience.

Apr. 1981 Joined Bank of Japan
May 1990 Seconded Asian Department, International Monetary Fund
May 1997 Deputy Chief, London Representative Office, Bank of Japan
June 1999 Director, Financial Markets Department
June 2003 General Manager, Naha Branch (Okinawa)
Sep. 2006 Joined PwC (Advisory)
Sep. 2008 Partner in charge of Business Recovery, Financial, Healthcare and Hospitality Industries and Family Businesses
Feb. 2012 Chief Executive Officer, FEMO Co., Ltd. (present)
Jun. 2018 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company (present)

Number of years since appointment as an Outside member of the audit & supervisory board: 5 years

Concurrent Positions

Chief Executive Officer, FEMO Co., Ltd.
Representative Director and President of Long Stay Network Co., Ltd.
Outside Director, Bank of Toyama
Director of Mega Solar Association
Director of Japan Business School Education Development Organization

Masaru Ono

Photo:Masaru Ono
Audit & Supervisory Board Member
Masaru Ono
Date of birth: Jun. 1, 1953

Mr. Masaru Ono is a lawyer with wide knowledge of the corporate legal affairs and finance fields. Accordingly, he was appointed as an Outside Audit & Supervisory Board Member because he is expected to execute effective auditing that reflects such extensive knowledge from his extensive range of business activities in economic and educational circles.

Apr. 1978 Registered Tokyo Bar Association
Jun. 1983 Certified New York State Bar
Feb. 1984 Joined Nishimura Sanada Law Firm (present Nishimura & Asahi)
Jul. 1985 Partner at Nishimura & Asahi
Jun. 2007 Managing Director, Securitization Forum of Japan (present President)
Apr. 2009 Visiting Professor, University of Tokyo (present)
Jun. 2020 Audit & Supervisory Board Member of the Company (present)
Jan. 2021 Attorney-at-Law of Nishimura & Asahi (resigned in December 2023)
Jan. 2024 Representative Partner, Ono & Partner (present)
Advisor of Nishimura & Asahi (present)

Number of years since appointment as an Outside member of the audit & supervisory board: 3 years

Concurrent Positions

Representative Partner of Ono & Partners
Advisor of Nishimura & Asahi
External Auditor of PRESTIGE International Inc.
Independent Auditor of &Capital Inc.
President of Securitization Forum of Japan
Visiting Professor, University of Tokyo


Average number of years since appointment as a board members: 5.09 years


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