TOKYO -- (ACN Newswire) --

TOKYO, Nov 30, 2015 - (ACN Newswire) - Showa Denko (SDK) (Tokyo: 4004) decided at its board meeting today on changes in corporate management.

Akira Koinuma, currently Representative Director, Senior Managing Corporate Officer, Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Officer in charge of Production Technology, Energy & Electricity, SPS Innovation, and CSR departments, and Chairman of Safety Measures Committee, will become Director, Assistant to President on January 4, 2016. He will resign as Director at the shareholders' meeting in late March 2016. He will also resign as Senior Managing Corporate Officer, Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Officer in charge of Production Technology, Energy & Electricity, SPS Innovation, and CSR departments, and Chairman of Safety Measures Committee on January 3, 2016. He will be elected as Standing Statutory Auditor at the shareholders' meeting in late March 2016.

Masaru Amano, currently Director, Managing Corporate Officer, Chief Risk Management Officer (CRO), Officer in charge of Internal Audit, Legal & Intellectual Property, General Affairs & Human Resources, and Purchasing & SCM departments, and Chairman of Security Export Control Committee, will become Representative Director, Senior Managing Corporate Officer, Chief Risk Management Officer (CRO), Officer in charge of Internal Audit, Legal & Intellectual Property, General Affairs & Human Resources, and Purchasing & SCM departments, and Chairman of Security Export Control Committee on January 4, 2016. His biographical information is attached at the end of this news release.

Two new directors will be elected at the shareholders' meeting in late March 2016. They are Kohei Morikawa (currently Corporate Officer, General Manager, Electronic Chemicals Division, Officer in charge of Functional Chemicals Division and plants (Tokuyama, Isesaki and Tatsuno), and Taichi Nagai (currently Corporate Officer, General Manager, Kawasaki Plant). Meanwhile, Kohei Morikawa will become Managing Corporate Officer, Chief Technical Officer (CTO), Officer in charge of Electronic Chemicals Division, Functional Chemicals Division, Business Development Center, Isesaki and Tatsuno plants, and Corporate R&D Department on January 4, 2016. Taichi Nagai will become Corporate Officer in charge of Production Technology, Energy & Electricity, SPS Innovation and CSR departments, and Chairman of Safety Measures Committee on January 4, 2016.

Akira Sakamoto will resign as Standing Statutory Auditor at the shareholders' meeting in late March 2016.

Yoshiyuki Nishimura will resign as Corporate Officer in charge of Electronics Materials Division, Advanced Battery Materials Department and Chichibu Plant on January 3, 2016, and become Senior Corporate Fellow, Assistant to President in charge of market development for electronics and battery materials on January 4, 2016. Atsushi Mizutani will resign as Corporate Officer, General Representative in China, General Manager, China Office, Corporate Strategy Department, and President of Showa Denko (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. on January 3, 2016, and will be appointed as Senior Corporate Officer, Shoko Co., Ltd. on January 4. He will be appointed as Director of Shoko Co., Ltd. in late March 2016. Hitoshi Tanaka will resign as Corporate Officer, General Manager, Carbons Division, Officer in charge of Omachi Plant on January 3, 2016, and become Advisor, Assistant to President on January 4, 2016. He will be appointed as Standing Statutory Auditor, Showa Aluminum Can Corporation in late March 2016.

There will be the following changes in responsibilities of corporate officers effective January 4, 2016 with one exception.

Robert C. Whitten (Corporate Officer of SDK, President and CEO of Showa Denko Carbon, Inc., Assistant to President in charge of global marketing) will resign as President and CEO of Showa Denko Carbon, Inc. on January 1, 2016, while retaining other positions. Tatsuharu Arai (Corporate Officer, General Manager, Petrochemicals Division and Olefins Department, Officer in charge of Oita Complex) will resign as General Manager, Olefins Department, while retaining other positions. Nobuhiko Kawamura (Corporate Officer, General Manager, Electronics Materials Division) will be in charge of Chichibu Plant, while retaining other positions. Takayuki Sato (Corporate Officer, General Manager, Business Development Center) will be appointed as General Manager, Institute for Integrated Product Development, while retaining other positions.

Five new corporate officers will be appointed on January 4, 2016. Hidehito Takahashi (Senior Corporate Fellow, Assistant to President) will become Corporate Officer, General Manager, Corporate Strategy Department, Officer in charge of Ceramics Division, Carbon Division, and Omachi Plant. Koichi Nishimura (Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Industrial Gas Division, President, Showa Denko Gas Products Co., Ltd.) will become Corporate Officer, General Manager, Industrial Gas Division, President, Showa Denko Gas Products Co., Ltd. Toshiharu Kato (General Manager, Finance & Accounting Department) will become Corporate Officer, General Manager, Finance & Accounting Department. Masamichi Yagishita (Temporarily transferred to Showa Denko Europe GmbH, serving as President) will become Corporate Officer, General Manager, Electronic Chemicals Division, Officer in charge of Tokuyama Plant. Masunori Kaiho (General Manager, Basic Chemicals Division) will become Corporate Officer, General Manager, Kawasaki Plant.

Takashi Nakayama (Senior Corporate Fellow, President, Nippon Polytech Corporation, Assistant to President in charge of new business creation relating to chemicals) will resign as Senior Corporate Fellow on January 3, 2016, and serve full time as President of Nippon Polytech Corporation on and after January 4. Kazumi Naito (Senior Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Naito Research Laboratory, Institute for Advanced and Core Technology, Business Development Center) will resign as Senior Corporate Fellow on January 3, 2016, and become Advisor, Institute for Advanced and Core Technology, Business Development Center on January 4, 2016.

Tetsu Moriki (Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Legal & Intellectual Property Department) will be promoted to Senior Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Legal & Intellectual Property Department on January 4, 2016.

Kanji Ishihara will resign as Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Omachi Plant on January 3, 2016, and become Advisor, Omachi Plant on January 4, 2016.

Six new corporate fellows will be appointed in January 4, 2016. Yoshiaki Yoshida (Temporarily transferred to Showa Denko Sichuan Carbon Inc., serving as President) will become Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Omachi Plant and Technical Department of the plant. Nobuhiro Kato (General Manager, IR Office, Finance & Accounting Department) will become Corporate Fellow, General Manager, IR Office, Finance & Accounting Department. Tamotsu Hirata (General Manager, Organic Chemicals Department, Petrochemicals Division) will become Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Purchasing & SCM Department. Toru Nagaoka (Carbons Division) will become Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Carbons Division. Hiroshi Daio (General Manager, Shiojiri Plant) will become Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Shiojiri Plant, concurrently serving as President, Showa Denko Ceramics Co., Ltd. Takuji Yamamoto (General Manager, Production Technology Department and Process Solutions Center) will become Corporate Fellow, General Manager, Production Technology Department and Process Solutions Center.


Biographical Information

Masaru Amano

Date of birth: August 29, 1952
Education: Graduated from School of Law, Waseda University, in March 1976
Professional Career
- April 1976 Joined Showa Denko K.K.
- January 2005 General Manager, Human Resources Group, Business Support Center
- January 2006 General Manager, Human Resources Office
- January 2009 Corporate Officer; General Manager, Human Resources Office
- January 2011 Corporate Officer; General Manager, General Affairs Office
- January 2013 Corporate Officer, in charge of Internal Audit, Legal & Intellectual Property, General Affairs & Human Resources, and Purchasing & SCM departments; Chief Risk Management Officer (CRO)
- March 2013 Director; Corporate Officer, in charge of Internal Audit, Legal & Intellectual Property, General Affairs & Human Resources, and Purchasing & SCM departments; Chief Risk Management Officer (CRO)
- January 2015 Director; Managing Corporate Officer, in charge of Internal Audit, Legal & Intellectual Property, General Affairs & Human Resources, and Purchasing & SCM departments; Chief Risk Management Officer (CRO)
Number of shares held in Showa Denko: 91,000 shares

About Showa Denko

Showa Denko K.K. ('SDK'; TSE: 4004, US: SHWDF) is a major manufacturer and marketer of chemical products serving a wide range of fields ranging from heavy industry to the electronic and computer industries. SDK makes petrochemicals (ethylene, propylene), aluminum products (ingots, rods), electronic equipment (hard disks for computers) and inorganic materials (ceramics, carbons). The company has overseas operations and a joint venture with Netherlands-based Montell and Nippon Petrochemicals to make and market polypropylenes. In March 2001, SDK merged with Showa Denko Aluminum Corporation to strengthen the high-value-added fabricated aluminum products operations, and is today developing next-generation optical communications-use wafers. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.



Source: Showa Denko

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