Tsunakawa Satoshi (Satoshi Tsunakawa)

Tsunakawa Satoshi (Satoshi Tsunakawa)

Biography

1979: Parish in Toshiba

Satoshi Tsunakawa joined Toshiba in 1979, taking over the corporation's medical business.

2010: Toshiba Medical Systems Guide

On June 9, 2010, Satoshi Tsunakawa led the medical device manufacturer, Toshiba Medical Systems focusing on global sales and strategic business planning for the unit. Toshiba

2016: Appointment as head of Toshiba

On May 6, 2016, Toshiba announced the appointment of Satoshi Tsunakawa as the new head of the company. The change in leadership at the conglomerate comes in an attempt to emerge from the crisis that has come since the profit-gouging scandal.

The board of directors nominated Satoshi Tsunakawa as CEO and president of Toshiba instead of Masashi Muromachi, who headed the company in July 2015. The new chairman of the board of directors of the corporation will be Shigenori Shiga.

The appointments will take effect after they are formally approved by shareholders at a meeting scheduled for late June 2016. Masashi Muromachi, 66, will continue at Toshiba as a special adviser.

Satoshi Tsunakawa answers questions from journalists on the day of his appointment as head of Toshiba, May 6, 2016

At a press conference in Tokyo, organized on May 6, 2016 on the occasion of the announcement of the change of leadership of Toshiba, 60-year-old Satoshi Tsunakawa said that he would restore the company by concentrating resources in growing areas (nuclear power, semiconductor industry, infrastructure solutions) and taking financial recovery measures.

I have great responsibility for the leadership of Toshiba at the moment when we find ourselves in the most difficult situation in our history, "said Tsunakawa.

He also pledged to improve the corporate culture undermined by the financial scandal. In 2015, it became known about many years of accounting fraud of top managers, as a result of which they attributed to the corporation about $1.3 billion of non-existent profit.

Most of his time with Satoshi Tsunakawa's company was in the medical business, including as his supervisor. In fact, the new CEO of the company has no experience in other areas than healthcare, but Tsunakawa himself sees this as a big plus - an open mind in making rational strategic decisions.

Meanwhile, analysts cited by the Financial Times say Toshiba needs strong executives and strategic focus to strengthen its financial position and regain investor confidence.^[1]

2018-2022: Resignation as head of Toshiba

On February 14, 2018, Toshiba announced the departure of Satoshi Tsunakawa as CEO of the company. Banker Nobuaki Kurumatani will take his place. Read more here.

Satoshi Tsunakawa went on to work for Toshiba, becoming a Representative Director and President as well as Executive Director (COO).

Subsequently, Satoshi Tsunakawa returned to the position of head of Toshiba, however, on March 1, 2022, he again resigned from it. Taro Shimada was appointed the new CEO of the company.

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