Sharp’s new President, Executive Officer & CEO Tetsuji Kawamura (pictured above), held a press conference on March 31, the day before assuming office on April 1. He appeared together with Masahiro Okitsu, president, executive officer & CEO, who became vice chairman as of April 1.
Kawamura joined Sharp in April 1984 and was assigned to the office equipment sales department of the overseas business division. In October 2014, he was appointed president of SEE, Sharp’s European headquarters, while also serving as representative for Europe. From August 2017, he served for more than four years as representative for the Americas and chairman of SEC, Sharp’s U.S. sales company. In October 2021, he returned to Japan and subsequently served as general manager of the digital imaging solutions business division and general manager of the Smart Business Solutions Business Division. He became an executive officer in September 2022, senior executive managing officer and head of the Smart Business Group in June 2024, and senior executive officer and CBDO in April 2025.
Kawamura said, “I have spent most of my career working mainly in overseas B2B businesses, and I have spent 25 years overseas, which accounts for about two-thirds of my career at Sharp. The place where I spent the longest time was the headquarters of SEC, Sharp’s U.S. sales company, located in New Jersey. I was stationed there three separate times, for a total of 19 years. I also spent six years in Europe: the first year in Hamburg, Germany, and the following five years in London, England.” In Europe and the United States, he is widely known and well-liked by the nickname Ted, rather than by his given name, Tetsuji.
One of the major initiatives he undertook during his overseas assignments was M&A. During his second assignment in the United States in 2006, he was directly involved in the acquisition of copier dealers. Over a period of just over two years, he rapidly established 15 direct sales locations across the United States. His hands-on experience in selecting acquisition targets, determining acquisition prices, negotiating deals, creating post-acquisition integration plans, developing business plans, and managing operations after acquisitions became the first step in developing his capabilities as a business leader. Kawamura was also involved in more than 30 copier dealer M&A transactions in Europe. Looking back, he said, “I was fortunate to have had extremely valuable experiences.”
After returning to Japan in 2021 from his final overseas posting in the United States, Kawamura took responsibility for the B2B business division, overseeing everything from procurement to development and production. Reflecting on his career to date, he said, “I have held positions responsible for the entire business on a global scale—Japan, Asia, China, Europe, and the United States—covering everything from upstream to downstream operations.”
In fiscal 2024, as head of the Smart Office Business Group, he achieved results that helped drive the company’s overall business performance. In fiscal 2025, he was appointed CBDO, or chief business development officer, a newly created role under Sharp’s headquarters CXO structure, responsible for developing new sales channels and other business opportunities.
Sharp’s past will guide its future
Kawamura then referred to the spirit of Sharp’s founder and first president, Tokuji Hayakawa. He emphasized elements that should not change even as generations change, including the spirit behind Hayakawa’s well-known phrase, “Create products that other companies will want to imitate,” as well as Sharp’s management creed of “Sincerity and Creativity.” Kawamura said, “I would like to continue carrying forward the DNA of our company, which has been passed down continuously from generation to generation.” He also stated, “The slogan announced in September 2025, ‘A Half-Step Ahead of People’s Wishes,’ reflects Sharp’s long-standing DNA and spirit. I want to take the lead in embodying what makes Sharp unique.”
As president and CEO, Kawamura said he will focus on the early launch of new businesses and the global expansion of the Sharp brand. This effort will make use of Foxconn’s resources as a ¥40 trillion company and as a player that accounts for more than 40% of global electronics manufacturing. However, Sharp will not simply rely on Foxconn’s strength. Instead, Sharp will contribute to Foxconn through its globally recognized brand, worldwide sales network, and global service network, thereby enhancing synergies between the two companies. Through these efforts, Sharp aims to achieve renewed growth, strengthen its ability to communicate externally, and maximize corporate value.
To accelerate these initiatives, Sharp established a new Business Development function under the direct control of the president and CEO as part of its new management structure effective April 1. Kawamura will concurrently serve as the overall head of this function, while CTO Mitsuru Tokuyama, general manager of the SBS Business Division, will concurrently serve as deputy head. Foxconn also has an organization called Foxconn Central BD, or Business Development, directly under Chairman Young-Way Liu. Sharp’s Business Development function will strengthen cooperation with this Foxconn organization and accelerate the concrete development of new businesses that can become future growth drivers under headquarters-led direction. It appears that new businesses utilizing Foxconn’s strengths in areas such as AI servers and EVs are being considered. Kawamura expects CTO Tokuyama to play a role that combines “management strategy × technology strategy × business implementation.”
In addition, to strengthen Sharp’s external communication under a consistent message, the company has placed its external communication functions, including IR and PR, directly under the president and CEO.
Sharp also plans to expand its overseas business. This is an area where Kawamura’s career experience can be fully leveraged. Overseas business already accounts for 60% of Sharp’s sales, and in the Smart Business Solutions business that Kawamura led, overseas business accounts for 70%. However, he said, “There is still significant value in further expanding overseas.”
Sharp intends to multiply the strengths of its B2B and B2C consumer electronics business foundations by leveraging Kawamura’s 25 years of experience in Europe and the United States.
In particular, he emphasized that personal relationships and trust between people are extremely important elements in B2B business, and he intends to make full use of those assets. Sharp will also leverage Foxconn’s overseas business strengths.
“I will devote all of my experience and knowledge to leading Sharp to the next stage,” Kawamura said.
