ClassNK Introduces New Management Scheme

Leading classification society ClassNK has announced that it will reorganize its Board of Directors as part of a larger corporate reorganization effective July 1, 2011.


As part of the reorganization ClassNK’s four current Managing Directors, Shosuke Kakubari, Koichi Fujiwara, Takuya Yoneya, and Yasushi Nakamura will be promoted to Executive Vice President and take up positions alongside current Executive Vice Presidents Hiroshige Kitada and Toshitomo Matsui. Profiles of each of the new Executive Vice Presidents are included below. In addition to the promotion of the four executives, ClassNK will also establish a new second tier of Operating Officers who will oversee the day to day operations of the 110 year old classification society.
From July 1, 2011 ClassNK General Affairs Department General Manager T. Agata, Finance Department General Manager M. Miyakura, Planning Department General Manager T. Kinoshita, Business Department General Manager J. Iida, Hull Department General Manager H. Kidogawa, Machinery Department General Manager T. Narisawa, Material and Equipment Department General Manager H. Takano, Survey Department General Manager Y. Ogahara, Research Institute General Manager T. Matsumoto, Development Department General Manager T. Shigemi, and Safety Management Systems Department General Manager N. Sumi will all be promoted to Operating Officers of the Society and will hold dual positions as both corporate officers and General Managers of their respective departments.
“As a classification society one of our most important missions is to serve the maritime industry. Yet, as the needs of the maritime industry grow and change, classification societies are being called upon to play new and expanded roles. With this reorganization, we will now be able to respond both more rapidly and flexibly to the changing needs of the maritime community, and I am confident we will be able to better fulfill our mission of supporting the growth and development of the maritime industry,” says ClassNK Chairman and President Noboru Ueda.
“In line with our mission as a non-profit, technical organization committed to safety and protecting the marine environment, all of our corporate officers remain highly qualified maritime experts, and I believe this change establishes a strong foundation for ClassNK’s future while maintaining our commitment to technical excellence,” he adds.
Alongside these changes to the classification society’s management structure, the ClassNK Business Department will be expanded into a new Business Operations Headquarters, which will be managed by current Business Department General Manager J. Iida, from July 1st. The Business Operations Headquarters will be comprised of three departments including the current Business Department, which will continue to oversee ClassNK’s business activities, as well as a new Business Planning Department, which will oversee new market development as well as ClassNK’s international committees and the ClassNK Academy program, and the Executive Operations Division, which will be in charge of executive planning and corporate communications. Current Business Department Managers T. Kurashiki, and Y. Seto will become the General Managers of the Business Planning Department and Executive Operations Department, respectively.
“As our operations become more global, we are focused on finding new ways to better support the industry, and this reorganization is one part of that process. I am excited about the possibilities that this reorganization allows us, and I am confident it will make it possible for us to provide even better service and support to our clients around the globe,” says Mr. Iida.
As the final part of this reorganization, the ClassNK Quality and Environment Systems Department, which manages ClassNK’s ISO and OHSAS certification services, will be expanded and renamed the Certification Services Department in recognition of ClassNK’s growing range of certification activities and its ongoing expansion in maritime certification.
Source: ClassNK