Raft of changes in top management at NYK Line

NYK LINE is removing directors and making sweeping changes in management this month, issuing a list of new appointments and departures at the executive level effective April 1.

Departing March 31 will be NYK executive vice presidents, Minoru Sato and Takao Manji, who "will resign as directors with the right to represent NYK". Also departing will be managing corporate officer Naoki Takahata at the "expiration of his term of service".

Two new directors have been appointed, Hidenori Hono, currently serving as managing corporate officer and Hiroshi Hattori, the company's existing chief representative for China, will assume their new roles as director managing corporate officers at the end of the month.

Mr Hattori will also continue to serve in his current post as well, the NYK statement said.

Other executive changes include Yasushi Yamawaki, now representative director, executive vice president corporate officer, who becomes executive vice-chairman, executive vice-chairman corporate officer.

Hiromitsu Kuramoto, now representative director, senior managing corporate officer, becomes representative director, executive vice-president corporate officer.

Yasumi Kudo, now representative director, senior managing corporate officer, becomes representative director, executive vice-president corporate officer.

Hiroshi Sugiura, now representative director, senior managing corporate officer, becomes representative director, executive vice-president corporate officer.

Shinji Kobayashi, now director, managing corporate officer, becomes representative director, senior managing corporate officer.

director, senior managing corporate officer.

Masamichi Morooka, now director, managing corporate officer, managing director of NYK Group Europe Ltd, director, senior managing corporate officer, becomes managing director of NYK Group Europe Ltd.

Toshinori Yamashita, now corporate officer president of NYK Line (Japan) Ltd, managing corporate officer, corporate officer, becomes president of NYK Line (Japan) Ltd and managing corporate officer.

Tomoyuki Matsubara, now corporate officer general manager of Technical Group, becomes managing corporate officer.

Hiroshi Sekine, now corporate officer general manager of safety and environmental management group, becomes managing corporate officer.

In the container trade, Hiroyuki Shimizu, appears to have his role largely unchanged. He is currently representative director, senior managing corporate officer in charge of the container trade management group, logistics group, logistics integrator group, Yokohama branch, Kansai branch, and matters related to Tokyo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd and NYK Line (Japan) Ltd. According to the NYK statement, the representative director will now be in charge of the Harbour Group as well, where he previously served only as an assistant to the director.