Tokyo, February 26, 2018 --- Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, “Hitachi”) announced that Toshiaki Higashihara, President & CEO, has received the “Leonardo International Prize” in Italy. This award was established in 1994 by the Leonardo Committee, consisting of representatives of the Italian Government and the financial sector. It is considered as one of the most prestigious international awards, and is presented to business leaders from foreign companies that have made substantial contributions to strengthening relationships with Italy in the fields of economics, literature, and arts.
Since being appointed President & COO in April 2014, Higashihara has contributed to Italy’s development through aggressive investments and business expansion, focusing mainly on the railway systems business. He received the “Leonardo International Prize” in recognition of these achievements.
Hitachi Group first entered the electronic parts and home appliance businesses in Italy in 1981, and currently conducts business in a wide range of fields, including railway systems, power and energy systems, and healthcare. In the expansion of the railway systems business in particular, Hitachi’s rolling stocks and components manufacturing bases located in Pistoia, Reggio Calabria and Naples in Italy are positioned as important bases for establishing a global production structure. In October 2017, “Hitachi Social Innovation Forum 2017 MILAN” was held as the Group’s first Social Innovation Forum event in Italy. Higashihara visited Italy at that time to introduce Hitachi’s Social Innovation Business, which will contribute to resolving societal issues in Italy and to improving QoL*. Hitachi has set a goal of expanding the revenues in Italy from the current 1.2 billion euro to 1.5 billion euro in FY2020, by providing solutions to many of the issues that Italy is facing; for example, combating increasing healthcare costs, improving energy efficiency and productivity, and increasing the efficiency of public transport to respond to increasing urbanization. At the same time, by meeting regularly with representatives of the Italian government and other stakeholders, Hitachi has further strengthened partnerships in this country.
* QoL: Quality of Life
Comment from Hitachi President & CEO Toshiaki Higashihara
“Hitachi considers Italy to be an important market in the expansion of its global business, and it is a great honor to receive this award in recognition of Hitachi’s activities in Italy. Hitachi will create and provide digital solutions that resolve societal issues on a global scale, in an effort to become an innovation partner in the IoT era. We will continue to contribute to Italy’s growth and development and to greater QoL for its people, through collaborative creation with customers and partners in the Italian market, leveraging digital technologies in the rollout of our Social Innovation Business.”
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society’s challenges. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal 2016 (ended March 31, 2017) totaled 9,162.2 billion yen ($81.8 billion). The Hitachi Group is a global leader in the Social Innovation Business, and it has approximately 304,000 employees worldwide. Through collaborative creation, Hitachi is providing solutions to customers in a broad range of sectors, including Power / Energy, Industry / Distribution / Water, Urban Development, and Finance / Government & Public / Healthcare. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.
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