New Zeon management structure 'to speed up decision-making'

Tokyo – Japanese chemicals group Zeon Corp. is abolishing what is has described as a "headquarters system" and is introducing a new CXO structure as part of a broader overhaul of its management framework.

Under the new structure, Zeon will establish a CXO committee comprising three positions — CEO, CFO and CTO — with the stated priority of enabling “rapid decision-making on key management issues”.

Effective 1 April, the CFO and CTO will serve in dedicated roles alongside the CEO, forming what the company described as a unified leadership team, said Zeon 19 Feb.

Tetsuya Toyoshima will serve as representative director, president and CEO. Kazuyoshi Matsuura will take on the role of director and managing executive officer, CFO, while Yuichiro Konishi will serve as director and managing executive officer, CTO.

As part of the reorganisation, Zeon said it will “abolish the headquarters system” under which headquarters heads oversaw and executed operations of subordinate divisions.

As a result, each division will be “positioned directly under the CXOs”, and certain departments with key functions will also be placed under direct executive supervision.

The company said the changes are designed to enable “direct and speedy exchanges” between divisions and top management, supporting faster management decisions and execution.

It will also strengthen governance through more timely reporting to the board of directors while further delegating execution authority to division heads to improve operational speed.

Zeon said the measures are intended to build “a resilient management structure,” support the achievement of targets under its mid-term management plan Stage 30.