KDDI to Promote Managing Director Matsuda to President

Tokyo, Feb. 5 (Jiji Press)--Japanese telecommunications company KDDI Corp. said Wednesday that it will promote Managing Director Hiromichi Matsuda, 53, to president on April 1.

The new president will take office before the company draws up its next medium-term management plan. Makoto Takahashi, 63, the current president, will become chairman with representation rights, while Takashi Tanaka, 67, the current chairman, will assume a position of adviser.

Takahashi told a press conference that Matsuda is well versed in technologies and familiar with overseas information technology firms. “He’s a person who challenges new business fields aggressively,” Takahashi said. “He is the best choice for the age of artificial intelligence.”

Matsuda said, “It will be my responsibility to raise information technologies’ connecting capabilities to higher levels and develop them for new businesses through the integration of digital data and advanced AI technologies.”

After assuming the presidency in 2018, Takahashi led the expansion of the company’s financial business and its investment in convenience store operator Lawson Inc.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]