JAPAN, January 2, 2019 — Leading pump manufacturer Grundfos has announced the appointment of Hideo Shirakawa to the role of area managing director (AMD) of Grundfos East Asia with effect from January 1st, 2019.
In his new role, Shirakawa will be responsible for leading the company’s business across Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and spearheading opportunities for Grundfos’ development and expansion in East Asia.
Hideo Shirakawa, new area managing director, Grundfos East Asia. (Image: Grundfos)
Shirakawa brings with him more than 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and business development, having held senior roles in a number of top organizations in Japan. He joined Grundfos in 2012 as a sales director and has been serving as the general manager of Grundfos Pumps KK Japan since July 2013. Shirakawa will continue to serve in his role as general manager of Grundfos Pumps KK Japan alongside his new role as AMD of East Asia.
“I am very pleased to be taking on the role of Area Managing Director of East Asia and look forward to driving exponential growth for the company in this region,” the new AMD said of his new appointment.
“We have a solid track record of providing innovative and excellent water and wastewater solutions to our clients, and we intend to leverage this to capture the many more opportunities across Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.”
Kim Jensen, regional managing director of Grundfos Asia Pacific region, added: “Shirakawa ’s deep knowledge of Grundfos coupled with his extensive experience working in the East Asia market is second to none, and he will play a pivotal role in strengthening our work in the region.
“We look forward to having Shirakawa on-board in his new role, where he will continue to focus on growing our sales and customer base for these markets, along with developing our talent and succession pipelines in the area.”
Prior to joining Grundfos, Shirakawa held a number of executive sales positions, including vice president for Sales and later Strategic Marketing at Hilti, Japan, as well as business development manager and commercial manager at Black and Decker, Japan.
Shirakawa holds a Bachelor of Arts (degree) from Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Boston University, Massachusetts, USA. (Grundfos)
Grundfos is a global leader in advanced pump solutions and trendsetter in water technologies. The company contributes to global sustainability by pioneering technologies that improve quality of life for people and care for the planet. Grundfos is also one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers with an annual production of more than 17 million pump units. The company provides energy efficient pumps and smart pumping solutions for various applications across diverse segments including domestic and commercial buildings, industries, water utilities (water and wastewater management) and pumps running on renewable energy.