New MOL executive team to succeed CEO

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) said that it had appointed a new executive team to succeed Takeshi Hashimoto atop the Japan-based ocean container carrier.

Jotaro Tamura will succeed Hashimoto as president and chief executive, effective April 1, as part of what MOL terms a Cooperative Management System, with new Chief Operating Officer Hisashi Umemura and current Chief Financial Officer Kazuya Hamazaki.

Hashimoto had served as president and CEO since 2021, and led implementation of the multi-phase Blue Action 2035 management plan. He will now serve as chairman of the company’s board of directors.

MOL is part of joint venture Ocean Network Express (with NYK and K Line.

“Having successfully navigated Phase 1 (to FY 2025) and established a clear path for large-scale strategic investments, I believe now is the perfect time to transition to a new leadership team for Phase 2 (FY 2026–2030),” Hashimoto said in a LinkedIn post.

Tamura had worked as senior managing executive officer in global container and liner businesses in Singapore and London. Umemura previously was senior managing executive officer in the energy sector.

“Jotaro has earned deep trust both within the company and across the industry,” said Hashimoto. “I am confident that his leadership will be instrumental in enhancing our human capital and organizational capabilities – the very core of our group’s growth – and driving the next stage of our transformation.”

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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