Management

Founder

Nozomu Matsumoto

The long road to Pioneer's current success began in 1932, when 26-year old Nozomu Matsumoto first heard a console-type electric phonograph with a dynamic speaker attached to it. The rich contrast of the sound compared to magnetic type speakers then in use created a desire in Matsumoto to build a dynamic speaker of his own. Five years later, in 1937, he hand crafted the A-8 and christened the new speaker "Pioneer." Matsumoto started a small factory to manufacture and repair radios and speakers the following year, 1938, the official year of Pioneer's founding.

Matsumoto's sons joined the family business and Pioneer saw sales steadily increase along with the company's reputation as a producer of quality speakers. By 1957 - twenty years after the first hand crafted speaker was made - Pioneer had orders for speakers from major manufacturers to use in their own complete stereo systems. Five years later, Pioneer embarked on the production and sale of its own complete stereo sets, marking a major shift from component maker to finished goods manufacturer. The separate stereo was one of Nozomu Matsumoto's greatest achievements. He created the concept, and made relentless efforts to create markets for it. He also devised a "one-step distribution system, a completely new form of distribution at the time that bypassed wholesales and built a nationwide network of sales offices.

Matsumoto continued to follow the origins of the company by creating new technologies. In 1975, when VCRs were still becoming popular, Pioneer halted R&D efforts on VCRs and began work on Laser Disc - the precursor to today's DVD and Blu-ray Disc technology. Over the years, Pioneer has proved its expertise in optical disc technology building on the early days of Laser Disc to continue product innovation.

Even after Matsumoto removed himself from day-to-day decision-making, his spirit continued to shape Pioneer's corporate culture and serve as an inspiration for each of its employees. The strength of the influence of a dynamic entrepreneur remains.

Matsumoto died in 1988 at the age of 83, leaving behind a very close-knit family. As 6,000 mourners lined the roadway to pay their respects, friends provided a tender farewell as they spoke of a man who had taken a small speaker factory and repair shop, and in 50 years built it into a multi-billion dollar international consumer electronics manufacturer - Pioneer Corporation.

Current Leadership

Susumu Kotani

Susumu Kotani was appointed president and representative director of Pioneer on November 15, 2008, after holding various top executive posts within the company. Kotani began his career at Pioneer in April 1975, immediately after graduating from the department of economics at Meiji Gakuin University in Japan.

Most recently, Mr. Kotani was managing director and general manager of the Home Entertainment Business Group in Japan. In addition, he held roles as general manager of the International Business Group and president of overseas subsidiaries.

During his tenure in the United States, Kotani served two years as president of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., as well as senior vice president of planning and coordination of the Mobile Entertainment Business Group.

Mr. Kotani has also held numerous positions within the Mobile Entertainment Business Group at Pioneer’s headquarters in Tokyo, where he served thee years as the group’s general manager during his more than 30-year career with the company.

As the new leader of Pioneer Corporation, Mr. Kotani will work to strategically restructure business operations and the company’s overall vision, and improve business performance. In his spare time, Kotani can usually be found on the golf course perfecting his swing.

Satoshi Ohdate

Mr. Satoshi Ohdate is the chairman and chief executive officer of the American Pioneer Electronics group companies. Mr. Ohdate leads the overall business direction for Pioneer’s North and South American group companies. Mr. Ohdate’s primary focus is the sales, service and marketing efforts for Pioneer’s business in the Americas. He also oversees Pioneer’s corporate planning, shareholder and investor relations and legal matters as well as supervises research and development initiatives.

Ohdate’s overall objective is to ensure that Pioneer can respond quickly and effectively to the changing consumer electronics environment in the America region, particularly as the worldwide economy begins to rebuild. He will focus on carrying out the integration of North and South American business interests into a new Pan American region.

Since joining Pioneer in 1981, Ohdate has held several executive management positions. From 2005 – 2007, he served as president of the Home Business Group in the United States. He oversaw sales, marketing and business strategy of the division. In 2007, he was promoted to president and COO of Pioneer USA, and most recently held the position of general manager of the International Division in Tokyo. In his 28-year career, Ohdate has spent most of his time in Japan, Europe and the U.S. and has a deep understanding of the North American marketplace and the products and services demanded by American consumers.