YUKIKAZU Myochin took over the leadership at Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) in 2019, a banner year for the Tokyo-headquartered company as it celebrated its centenary.

In line with an earlier announced management succession plan, Mr Myochin took over from Eizo Murakami as president and chief executive on April 1, with Mr Murakami moving on to become the group’s chairman.

Mr Myochin has been with K Line — among the world’s 10 largest shipping lines, with more than 500 ships — throughout his career, starting out in 1984.

Suggesting the future logistics-related direction of the group, Mr Myochin noted it had grown over the intervening 100 years from a small shipping business with 11 vessels in 1919 to an integrated logistics company based in marine transport with more than 500 vessels today.

There will remain continuity for K Line’s medium-term management plan despite the change of leadership and the group will continue to focus on further strengthening the three key initiatives of rebuilding its portfolio strategy; advancement of management and function-specific strategies; and implementing environmental, social and governance measures.

In terms of rebuilding its portfolio strategy, K Line has been creating spin-offs of the containership business, Mr Myochin highlighted.

“Moving forward, we will focus and reallocate management resources within the four pillars of dry bulk vessel, energy resource transport, car carrier and logistics businesses in order to further improve corporate value by strengthening a stable earnings base,” he added.

Giving further indications of the group’s future direction towards integrated logistics, Mr Myochin said: “Shipping is an infrastructure that is essential to the lives and economic activities of people across the globe.”

He also referred to K Line’s enterprising spirit to meet customer needs over its 100-year history. The group would continue to build on these, he reiterated, using AI and other information and communications technologies.

“Amid these changing times, we will continue to provide even higher value,” said Mr Myochin.

“We will utilise the latest in information and communications technologies based on knowledge cultivated over many years and a multitude of transport information data to further strengthen transport safety, as well as reach an even higher level of service quality and convenience, responding to the changing business environment through action taken with a sense of urgency.”

This is Mr Myochin's first appearance in the Top 100. K Line appeared in the Top 100 in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.