Taylor Is First U.S. Citizen To Head Panasonic

By Steve Smith -- TWICE, 3/8/2010

SECAUCUS, N.J. — When Joe Taylor, COO of Panasonic Corporation of North America, offi cially becomes chairman/ CEO on April 1, it will be the fi rst time an American will hold that position at Panasonic.

He will succeed current chairman/CEO Yoshi Yamada, who will move to Japan to head parent company Panasonic Corporation’s global industrial sales business.

 Yamada has also been promoted to managing executive offi cer of the parent company, subject to approval of the appointment at the general shareholders meeting on June 25.

A 26-year Panasonic veteran who has served as Panasonic Corporation of North America’s COO since 2007, Taylor has led many of the company’s strategic business efforts, including creating a B-to-B enterprise solutions group and launching and coordinating companywide FullHD 3D TV product and promotion initiatives, Panasonic said.

Prior to becoming COO, Taylor was president of Panasonic Industrial Company, a division company that supplies industrial components and electronic devices to the nation’s largest manufacturers and assemblers.

Taylor’s appointment is not unprecedented. In 1989 Richard A. Kraft was named president/CEO of Matsushita Electric Corp. of America (MECA), which now does business as Panasonic Corporation of America. At that time Kraft was the highest ranking American officer in the history of MECA.