News | Kuraray Europe

04/07/2011 |

Masuo Oba succeeds Keiji Taga as Managing Director of Kuraray Europe GmbH in Frankfurt

There has been a change in the management of Kuraray Europe GmbH (KEG) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Masuo Oba, currently Head of Business Planning for the Poval Division at Kuraray Co., Ltd. in Tokyo has been appointed co-managing director of KEG and Head of the Trading Division effective April 2011.
He succeeds Keiji Taga, who is taking on a new post at Kuraray’s site in Osaka.

"We would like to thank Keiji Taga for his successful work for KEG and wish him all the best in his new function. We are convinced that his experience will increase collaboration between the companies in Europe and Japan," says Dr. Matthias Gutweiler, Managing Director of KEG. Keiji Taga held a variety of posts during his time at Kuraray in Europe. From 2003 until 2007 he was Managing Director of amaretta GmbH in Aßlar. Following the merger of this company with Kuraray Europe GmbH and the relocation to Frankfurt, he was appointed head of the newly created Clarino/amaretta Business Unit. He became Managing Director of KEG on April 1, 2008 and also took over as Head of the Trading Division.

His successor, Masuo Oba, has held a variety of managerial posts in the Kuraray Group since 1984 and worked in the USA for four years. From October 2007 until March 2010 he was Head of Planning & Administration of the Specialty Resin and Film company at Kuraray Co., Ltd. in Tokyo. In April 2010 he was placed in charge of the Business Planning department in the Poval Resin Division in Tokyo. He is therefore already familiar with KEG’s structures, business activities and strategic focus.

"We extend a warm welcome to Masuo Oba and wish him every success in his new function,” says Dr. Gutweiler. "We are sure that his extensive international experience will help drive forward our growth course in Europe.”