Pioneer North America President Steps Down
After nearly 40 years of service, current president, chairman, and CEO of Pioneer North America Tom Haga announced his upcoming departure.
After nearly 40 years of service, current president, chairman, and CEO of Pioneer North America Tom Haga announced his upcoming departure. Effective March 31, 2008, Haga will move into an executive advisory role for incoming president Masao Kawabata, who is currently the general manager of corporate branding and communications in Japan.
“Haga succeeded in ensuring that Pioneer could respond quickly and effectively to the changing consumer electronics environment. He transformed Pioneer as the industry moved from analog to digital and from standalone to networked products,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association.
During his 38 years at Pioneer, Haga led Pioneer’s operations in Japan, the United States, and the international business division, but 31 of those years were spent in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.
As the new North America president, chairman, and CEO, Kawabata will be responsible for corporate planning, shareholder relations, legal issues, and overall business coordination for Pioneer North America and its subsidiaries.
Pioneer recently said it would stop manufacturing plasma displays and source them from other companies. The move was a surprise to some, considering the generally positive reception of the company’s latest Kuro models.
