Hideaki Onishi joins Ushio Europe; Hiroshi Matsubara to advise Ushio Inc.
Oude Meer – Ushio has announced the retirement of long-serving President Hiroshi Matsubara; Hideaki Onishi has been appointed to the position, effective 1 April 2019.
Hiroshi Matsubara has been Ushio Europe President for over 10 years, and has worked in the lighting industry for more than three decades, a total of 32 years spent with Ushio. As a highly valued lighting industry expert, Mr. Matsubara will continue to serve as a consultant for our Japanese parent company in Japan, Ushio Inc.
During his tenure, the company has delivered consistent top and bottom line growth ahead of its markets (and other Ushio companies). Its focus on successfully pioneering a new model of sustainable growth has served the needs of its many stakeholders and created excellent returns for its shareholders.
He is proud of his successful mission to expand the European operations, and the new or renovated facilities shared by his colleagues; especially the new factory at Ushio Poland. Furthermore, he restructured the BLV LICHT subsidiary and moved its main focus from General Lighting to the Horticulture business, becoming pioneers within the Ushio Group. These giant leaps supplement the huge contributions that Ushio Europe has developed for the cinematic and space industries, under the guidance of Hiroshi Matsubara.
The search for a worthy successor to Mr. Matsubara remained largely in-house, with the Ushio management board preferring to appoint a proven candidate from within the group. Hideaki Onishi was an obvious choice, now in his 30th year at Ushio, having forged a reputation for strong leadership, transparency, and integrity.
Full of praise and excitement for the progress of Mr. Onishi, Ushio CEO Koji Naito revealed why the appointment could signal prosperous times for the European headquarters.
“Since joining Ushio in 1989, Mr. Hideaki Onishi has proven himself to be a master of the sale during his meteoric rise through various positions at the company. During his career, he has amassed a great deal of leadership experience in overseas business, including important contributions to our ventures in Taiwan and Singapore.
His management style is nimble and simple. He does not settle for the status quo and always looks for ways to improve. While he comes across as sharp and decisive, he also displays a meticulous side to his character. His versatile expertise and character will surely stimulate the growth of Ushio Europe, though the careful nurture and encouragement of our customers.”
– Koji Naito, CEO, Ushio Inc.
From humble beginnings in the countryside of Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture, Mr. Onishi was in his early twenties when he started out on his Ushio journey. After fruitful spells at the Tokyo headquarters and the Taiwanese subsidiary, he was placed in charge of the SH photolithography lamp market for a period of eight years from 2004 onwards.
As his remarkable talent for securing sales became widely noted, Mr. Onishi was entrusted with guiding the manufacture and sales of the printed circuit board (PCB) exposure machines that Ushio acquired in their 2012 takeover of ADTEC Engineering. The next five years saw the business go from strength to strength and the clear ambitions of this born leader culminated in his appointment as President of Ushio Asia Pacific in 2016.
Remaining in this Singapore-based role until his move to Ushio Europe this month, Hideaki Onishi’s outstanding contributions to the Asian sector of the group saw him take Ushio Thailand and the newly established Ushio Vietnam under his command. His presence as a member of the internal ASETT executive organisation means that his vast knowledge can be shared across the committee, where Ushio discusses its twelve focused markets.
Mr. Onishi is a man of clear intent, and delivered a rousing message to his new colleagues:
“It is an honour to take over the reins from a leader such as Matsubara-san and I hold a golden opportunity to nurture his legacy towards further success. First, I must conduct a thorough analysis of where we are today. To do this, I encourage my new colleagues to engage in an open conversation, no matter where they are positioned within the organisation.
This creates an ideal climate for everyone to be motivated and take on each mission with confidence. By taking definitive action to reinforce our leading position amongst our various key markets, I predict a great future for Ushio Europe.”
– Hideaki Onishi, President, Ushio Europe
