Hata-san's message regarding management changes
At the end of January 2014, I will step down from my role as President and CEO of this company. While my two and a half years with you were short, I have found this time to be extremely meaningful. I may have fallen short in many areas; however, I enjoyed all of your support throughout the many challenges. For that, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude.
The timing of this announcement is related to the start of a new management structure at Nissan Motor Company. Thanks to all of your efforts, our company has grown and increased in importance – a fact attested to by the praise given by Nissan to JATCO. In order further solidify our company’s management structure Honda-san will become COO on February 1 and assume responsibility of the company’s operations.. Additionally, we have invited Teruaki Nakatsuka from an outside company to take over the helm as President and CEO in June.
Nakatsuka-san does not possess experience in the automotive industry, just like me before I joined JATCO. However, he has a great wealth of both domestic and international business experience, and is the ideal person to take over the management of this company to continue its growth. Honda-san will take the lead to determine the organization of this company for the next fiscal year based on the above personnel arrangements, and I am convinced that the new management team will aggressively propel forward growth under the new organization so that we can achieve our goal of ¥1 trillion. I ask all of you to please firmly support this new management team.
During my term as President, I felt the greatest sense of responsibility and regret when I was unable to prevent the accident that occurred in December. I intend to return to the fundamentals of safety as the prerequisite to the continued existence of the company, reevaluate safety measures and pass these on to the new management.
We have chosen the phrase JATCO Value to represent in English our policy regarding what we hold important. This is boldly expressed through four words: Innovation, Leadership, Quality and Diversity. The first, Innovation, comes from what most clearly differentiates this company from others: We change the world through technological innovation. As for Leadership, we aim to be a company in which each individual is a leader. Regarding Quality, we define this not only as the quality of products, but also securing a high level of quality in all of our work. Finally, Diversity forms the foundation of this company in the shared passion for growth that goes beyond differences in gender, nationality or language. I have not ceased to utter these words since taking over as President, and they also serve as an appropriate conclusion to these past two and a half years. I believe that I can count on all of you for your resounding support.
When I joined JATCO two and a half years ago, the first thing I noticed was that the employees did not realize what a great company they have. This company has a high level of technological expertise, strong monozukuri, and, more than anything else, a huge supply of incredible personnel. My feelings regarding these points have not changed at all. In fact, the more that I got to know JATCO, the stronger my belief became that the company’s potential is rapidly increasing.
From the beginning of February, I will continue from my new position to watch over and support this company’s growth towards ¥1 trillion. The regions that I will be in charge of at Nissan from now on are all expected to experience major growth, and thus have great meaning for our company’s products. I ask all of you to strive forward and embody the words, “The mission is passion.”
As the holiday season approaches, I ask you to take care of your health and wish you a Happy New Year.