Asahi Kasai names company veteran as new president

Düsseldorf, Germany – Asahi Kasei has named company veteran Koshiro Kudo as its new president and representative director, effective April. 

He will succeed Hideki Kobori who will become the chairman of Asahi Kasei, the Japanese chemicals supplier announced 22 Feb.

Koshiro Kudo joined Asahi Kasei in 1982, and has held various positions, including head of the ROICA business unit, producing stretch fibres from elastic polyurethane filament.

He was named the president of the fibres & textiles strategic business unit, based in Osaka, Japan, in 2017.  

Two years later, his role was expanded to president of the performance products SBU, to also oversee the operations of engineering plastics, synthetic rubber, elastomers as well as household and packaging materials. 

Kudo was also involved in the establishment of a new department for mobility materials, launched in April 2020 to focus on products for the automotive sector.