Kenichiro Yamanishi: Mitsubishi Electric President And CEO

For those who do not like to transfer from one company to another, Kenichiro Yamanishi can be a source of inspiration. He studied at the Faculty of Engineering Science at Kyoto University.  After he graduated and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering in 1975 he went to work for Mitsubishi Electric stating out as a research engineer.

Kenichiro then worked his way up the corporate ladder. Among the positions he has held include Director of Manufacturing 2 at Saijo Plant, Assistant Manager of Production Technology Center, Manager of Production Technology Center, Managing Executive Officer and Chief Managing Executive Officer.

He rose to the position of Senior Executive Officer and Division Manager for the Semiconductor & Devices business unit then became the CEO and President on April 1, 2010.

Kenichiro’s tenure can be described as a challenging one. If competition weren’t a challenge in itself Mother Nature also gave a big blow; in March 2011 a destructive earthquake in Japan led to uncertainties with demand, the supply chain and production for the company. Trading was also severely affected due to the strong Yen.

To address this Kenichiro has focused effort on cutting costs and boosting sales. The strong Yen has also caused him to consider expanding overseas production and procurement. The company has also been recently involved in a scandal regarding the “bill padding” of contracts with defense and other public contracts. This practice was discovered to have been going on since the 1970s.

Being efficient and producing energy in an environmentally friendly way according to Kenichiro will be keys to the future growth of the company. He cited products like heat pumps and photovoltaic modules will be central to its future growth.

Mitsubishi Electric Group is a leading global company in the manufacture and sales of electric and electronic equipment used in energy and electric systems, industrial automation, information and communication systems, electronic devices, and home appliances. It was established in January 15, 1921 and has around 120,958 employees.