Sir Stephen Gomersall, KCMG

Chief Executive for Europe, Hitachi

The Chief Executive for Europe is the senior representative for all of the Hitachi Group's businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He and his office, based in the UK, are responsible for Group Strategy and Business Development. Hitachi in Japan is a major engineering and information technology conglomerate with an annual turnover of approximately $102 billion. The Group companies in Europe span the major fields of consumer products, rail transport and equipment, construction machinery, power generation equipment, automotive systems, data storage and other IT solutions, medical equipment fine materials, and many component businesses.

Sir Stephen was born 17 January 1948, in Yorkshire, England. He was educated at Forest School Snaresbrook, and Queens College Cambridge, graduating in 1969 with a BA First Class in Modern Languages. He obtained his MA in International Studies from Stanford University, California, 1970.

After joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1970, his first foreign assignment was to Japan from 1972-77. He served there again from 1986-90, and as Ambassador from 1999-2004. He also served as a political officer in Washington from 1982-6, and as Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 1994-98. In London he worked on Rhodesia during the transition to independence, as Private Secretary to the Deputy Foreign Minister dealing with European affairs from 1979-82, and as Head of Department for international security affairs during the immediate post-Cold War period. He received his knighthood for services to government in 2000.

Sir Stephen's main roles as Ambassador in Japan were the promotion of trade and investment between UK and Japan, and the development of UK-Japan cooperation in international politics and security. He also worked for the promotion of Japanese investment in the United Kingdom, and British investment in Japan. He was also instrumental in the settlement of a number of regulatory issues with Japan affecting British companies and financial institutions.

After taking early retirement from the FCO in July 2004 Sir Stephen took up his present position in October 2004.