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Experience

Chairman and CEO, Fujitsu Limited (2003 - present)

President, Fujitsu Limited (1998 - 2003)

Executive Vice President, Fujitsu Limited (1992 - 1998)

Senior Vice President, Fujitsu Limited (1991 - 1992)

Group Senior Vice President, System Engineering Group, Fujitsu Limited
(1977 - 1991)

General Manager, Public Service Systems Engineering Division, Fujitsu Limited (1961 - 1977)

Accomplishments

Naoyuki Akikusa spent his entire professional career in service to Fujitsu Limited, the company that developed Japan's first commercial computer in 1954. After expanding into mainframe computer, semiconductor production, and factory automation, Fujitsu became the premiere computer manufacturer in 1979, surpassing IBM. The company entered the personal-computer marketplace in the late 1980s. By 1995 it held an 18 percent market share and was expanding globally. In 1998 Fujitsu suffered from the slump in the semiconductor market and the weak Asian economy. Akikusa took over leadership of Fujitsu in this tough environment and battled to pull the company out of the slump during his five-year tenure as president. Known for his innovative style, Akikusa was widely respected around the world and frequently spoke at technology conferences and seminars.

After becoming chairman, Akikusa was able to focus on long-term goals. He arranged a deal with Verizon to manufacture several hundred million dollars' worth of fiber-optic equipment for Verizon's North American operation, and established a joint venture with Sun Microsystems to merge its high-end server operations with those at Fujitsu. Sun and Fujitsu would develop a Sparc processor together and then resell each other's respective product lines. In addition, he capitalized on the market to build plasma and flat screens in a joint venture with Hitachi. As a result of these deals, Fujitsu realized a ¥49.7 billion profit in fiscal year 2003. By the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, with European markets expanding and business in the United States expected to rally, Fujitsu began catching up with IBM in the global market and hoped to double its profit to more than ¥100 billion.

Akikusa also gained a reputation as a protector of the environment. According to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, a diverse worldwide grassroots organization that engages in research, advocacy, and organizing around the environmental and human health problems caused by the rapid growth of the electronics industry, Fujitsu was the only firm it deemed worthy of a passing grade among its corporate peers for dealing with e-waste and promoting environmental awareness within its corporate culture. Akikusa has been quoted as saying, "Environmental preservation is one of the most pressing issues we all face as members of the human race." Akikusa moved environmental issues up Fujitsu's priority list from countermeasures to strategies.

Mr. Akikusa took over as interim president of JAIMS when Dr. Glenn Miyataki retired on June 30, 2006.  He will hold that post until the JAIMS Executive Search Committee decides on a successor.