Atsushi Horiba is Chairman, President and CEO of HORIBA, Ltd., an analytical device manufacturing company located in Kyoto. In 1971, he joined OLSON-HORIBA Inc. (U.S.A) as a service engineer and later, transferred to HORIBA Instruments Inc. After his return to Kyoto in 1977, he was appointed as Director in 1982, became President and CEO in 1992, and Chairman in 2005.
He assumed the post of Chairman of Japan Electric Measuring Instruments Manufacturers’ Association (JEMIMA) and Japan Analytical Instruments Manufactures’ Association (JAIMA). He presently serves as Vice-Chairman of Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Ambassador of University of California, Irvine. He was decorated L’Ordre National du Merite, Officier in 1998 and L’Ordre National de la Legion d’honneur, Chevalier in 2010 by the government of France.
He graduated from University of California, Irvine, Graduate School with an electronics engineering in 1977. He received Doctor Honoris Causa from University of Montpellier, France in 2015.
Education
Apr.1967 - Mar.1971
Konan University (Kobe, Japan)
Science of Physics
Sep.1973 - Jun.1975
University of California, Irvine (U.S.A.)
Electrical Engineering
Sep.1975 - Jun.1977
University of California, Irvine
Graduate School (U.S.A.)
Electronics Engineering
Jul. 2015
Doctor Honoris Causa
University of Montpellier, France
Experience
Apr.1971 - Sep.1972
OLSON-HORIBA INC.
(California, U.S.A.)
Sep.1972
HORIBA Ltd. (Kyoto, Japan)
Sep.1972 - Sep.1973
Transferred to HORIBA INTERNATIONAL CORP.
(California, U.S.A.)
Sep.1973 - Dec.1977
Transferred to HORIBA INSTRUMENTS INC.
(California, U.S.A.)
Dec.1977 - Mar.1981
Returned to HORIBA Ltd.
Manager, Overseas Technical Service Dept.
Mar.1981 - Jun.1982
General Manager, International Div.
Jun.1982 - Jan.1986
Director General Manager, International Div.
Jan.1986 - Jun.1988
Director, General Manager, Marketing Div.
Jun.1988 - Mar.1991
Senior Managing Director, General Manager, Marketing Div.
Mar.1991 - Jan.1992
Senior Managing Director, General Manager, Marketing Div. General Manager, Production and R&D Div.
Jan.1992 - Feb.1992
President and CEO,
General Manager, Marketing Div.
General Manager, Production and R&D Div.
Feb.1992 - Dec.1992
President and CEO
General Manager, Marketing Div.
Dec.1992
President and CEO
Jun. 2005
Chairman, President and CEO
CONCURRENTLY ASSIGNMENT
Japan Electric Measuring Instruments Manufacturers’ Association (Japan)
Vice-Chairman
Japan Analytical Instruments Manufactures’ Association (Japan)
Vice-Chairman
The Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kyoto, Japan)
Vice-Chairman
University of California, Irvine (U.S.A.)
Ambassador
Rock Field Co., Ltd. (Kobe, Japan)
Director
WACOAL HOLDINGS CORP. (Kyoto, Japan)
Director
HONOR
Jan.22, 1998
L'Ordre National du Merite, Officier
Jan.26, 2010
L’Ordre National de la Legion d’honneur, Chevalier
What have been the main lessons you have learned in your career and how do you implement them in your management?
I spent six and a half years in US for my career in HORIBA.
I started my career in HORIBA group as engineer in US , and used to repair our faulty instuments. I found that a number of faulty instruments came from the HQ in Japan and most of troubles were caused by shipping conditions. I tried to inform this problem to the HQ however they didn’t take it into serious consideration and left me alone in US to handle this. I struggled much trying to get the HQ understand and sort out troubles but it was not easy. After this experience, what I keep in mind all the time is to keep a close relationship with the field management. Without seeing the front line, we cannot truly understand nor find troubles and what’s happening there.
In US, I found there was a culture or atmosphere of torelance toward one’s failure, and they evaluate one’s challenge and courage. When I was student for obtaining a pilot licence for pleasure in US, I once faced a dangerous situation during a training flight. It was caused by bad weather conditions and also my insufficient preparation before the flight.
Fortunately, with my flexible flight response, I came back from the sky without causing any incident. However, after coming back from the training flight, I thought there was going to be no chance to obtain a licence and instructor’s licence as well. The reality was that despite the risk encountered in that worst case scenario, they also evaluated my flexible decision in the life-threatening situation. They gave me another chance to try. It was a good lesson that made me implement it into my management style; evaluating one’s challenge and accepting a certain level of failure as a step to grow.
Mentors
My late father who is a founder of HORIBA, Ltd. brought me up letting me try what interested me with my own inititive and he didn’t force me to study nor work for things I didn’t feel like doing. I devoted myself building models as much as I could, tried any sports that interested me, and even found a private tutoring school by myself when I got motivated by school work. His way of the education gave me a lesson to learn a sense of responsibility of completing what I once decided to start. As well, it made me learn that enthusiasm could make things happen.
After I was appointed as President of HORIBA, Ltd, he continued encouraging me all the time without interfering in my managemet approach. It was his own way of showing his respect to his successor, which brought me further sense of responsibility but with a feeling of his continued support in a positive way.
Quotes
“Open and Fair”
One of the phrases HORIBA often use to show what are our values. It can be used to describe our policy in human resource development, and it can be also used when we explain our transparency to the public.
