Hitachi, Ltd.
Leadership History
4 leaders · 2010 to present
Toshiaki Tokunaga is the CEO of Hitachi, in the role since 2025. The first chief executive was Hiroaki Nakanishi, from 2010.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toshiaki Tokunaga | President and Chief Executive Officer | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Keiji Kojima | Executive Chairman (CEO 2022-2025) | 2022 | 2025 | 3 |
| Toshiaki Higashihara | Former President and Chief Executive Officer | 2016 | 2022 | 6 |
| Hiroaki Nakanishi | President, later Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | 2010 | 2016 | 6 |
Hitachi is a Japanese industrial technology group founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (6501), had 287,901 employees at March 31, 2026, and is led by President and CEO Toshiaki Tokunaga, with Keiji Kojima as Executive Chairman. Many people still link the name to TVs, hard drives, or home appliances, but those businesses have been sold or are being sold. Today's Hitachi builds power grid equipment through Hitachi Energy, trains and signalling through Hitachi Rail, IT systems and digital engineering through its Digital Systems & Services sector and GlobalLogic, and industrial and building equipment through Connective Industries. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Hitachi is a B2B infrastructure and IT company. It sells long-lived physical assets (transformers, HVDC converter stations, trains, signalling, elevators, semiconductor metrology tools) and then earns recurring service, maintenance, and software revenue on that installed base. Lumada is the umbrella for the data, AI, and digital services layered on top, and Hitachi reports Lumada as a growing share of total revenue. The four reporting sectors are Digital Systems & Services, Energy, Mobility, and Connective Industries. Customers are utilities, rail operators, governments, banks, and manufacturers, and many contracts run for years, which gives Hitachi a large order backlog and revenue visibility.
President and Chief Executive Officer
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
Became CEO on April 1, 2025 after leading the Green Energy & Mobility business. Launched the Inspire 2027 management plan, oversaw record FY2025 results, and agreed the 2026 sale of the home appliance business to Nojima.
Brings an energy and rail background to the top job as Hitachi Energy and Hitachi Rail drive more of the group's growth.
Executive Chairman (CEO 2022-2025)
2022 – 2025
3 years
Became President in 2021 and CEO in April 2022. Completed the Hitachi Metals sale, the Hitachi Construction Machinery stake sale, and the Thales GTS acquisition, and pushed Lumada as the group's growth engine.
Finished much of the portfolio cleanup and handed over a more focused group to Tokunaga.
Former President and Chief Executive Officer
2016 – 2022
6 years
Led the ABB Power Grids and GlobalLogic acquisitions and the sale of Hitachi Chemical, framing the Social Innovation strategy around digital and energy.
Shifted Hitachi from a sprawling conglomerate toward infrastructure and digital businesses.
President, later Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
2010 – 2016
6 years
Nakanishi became president in 2010 after Hitachi's record loss and moved the group away from consumer electronics toward infrastructure and IT services.
Hitachi returned to profit and sold or merged several non-core units under him. Toshiaki Higashihara succeeded him as chief executive in 2016.
Hitachi has to deliver large grid, HVDC, and rail projects on time while transformer capacity and materials stay tight, manage weaker demand in parts of GlobalLogic, absorb yen swings (Q1 FY2026 growth was helped by currency), and compete with Siemens, Siemens Energy, GE Vernova, ABB, Schneider Electric, Alstom, and Mitsubishi Electric.
Toshiaki Tokunaga has been President and CEO since April 1, 2025. Keiji Kojima, his predecessor, became Executive Chairman.
Key leaders include Takashi Kawamura (2009-2010), Hiroaki Nakanishi (President 2010-2014), Toshiaki Higashihara (President from 2014, CEO 2016-2022), Keiji Kojima (CEO 2022-2025), and Toshiaki Tokunaga (CEO from 2025).
After the ~$5.27 billion (¥787.3 billion) loss in fiscal 2008, they cut loss-making consumer and component units, brought key listed subsidiaries under full control, and refocused Hitachi on infrastructure and IT.
Higashihara led the ABB Power Grids and GlobalLogic deals and the sale of Hitachi Chemical, framing the Social Innovation strategy around digital and energy.
From 2022 to 2025 Kojima completed the Hitachi Metals and Hitachi Construction Machinery sales, closed the Thales GTS acquisition in 2024, and pushed Lumada growth.
Tokunaga led Hitachi's Green Energy & Mobility business before becoming CEO, giving him direct experience with Hitachi Energy and Hitachi Rail.
Keiji Kojima currently serves as CEO. However, the most legendary modern executive is Hiroaki Nakanishi (CEO from 2010 to 2016). When Hitachi was bleeding massive billions, Nakanishi ruthlessly shut down the massive consumer electronics divisions (like TVs) and successfully pivoted the entire 100-year-old conglomerate toward profitable B2B enterprise infrastructure.
Compare executive leadership tenures and strategic transitions
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