Akira Shimizu

Managing Director

Hitachi Europe Ltd.

Akira Shimizu serves as Managing Director of Hitachi Europe Ltd, effective as of 1st April 2010. He is in charge of driving the growth of the European operations of Hitachi Europe including sales, marketing, business development and R&D. He is also in charge of strengthening the functions of Hitachi Europe as the regional headquarter providing common business support and other synergies for the Hitachi Group in Europe.

Previously, he was General Manager of Innovating Marketing Centre, International Strategy Division, Hitachi, Ltd and was responsible for promoting Hitachi’s new business development projects in America, Europe and Middle East. Prior to this position, he was General Manager of the International Sales Division, Consumer Business Group and has led the sales and marketing teams across the world since October 2004.

He joined Hitachi in 1979 at the International Operations Group, in which he was assigned a number of new business development projects in America, Asia, Middle East and Europe. From 1991, he spent four years in Orleans, France to start up a new data storage assembly factory, where he gained various administrative experience in running a manufacturing company.

After returning from France in 1995, he held a series of manager and senior manager positions at the International Business Planning & Development Division. He has led various corporate alliance projects and new business development projects in Europe and the USA for over 9 years.

He studied at the Tokyo University in Japan and graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in French literature.