Akihiko Saito Chairman, DENSO CORPORATION

Akihiko Saito is chairman of DENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi, Japan.

Saito earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering at Nagoya University in 1968, after which he joined Toyota Motor Corporation.

During his early career at Toyota, Saito was responsible for a diverse range of technical assignments, including work in vibration testing, chassis design, product planning and production engineering.

In 1980, Saito became a member of the team that handled product planning work for Toyota’s best-selling car, the Corolla. He served as chief engineer in the development of the sixth and seventh generation Corollas, and became a general manager in the product planning division in 1987.

Saito was named to Toyota’s board of directors in 1991, and he became managing director in 1996. In 1998 he was promoted to senior managing director, where he was responsible for supervising a comprehensive range of activities in research and development management, and component and system development. Saito assumed the position of Toyota’s executive vice president in 2001.

In 2005, Saito joined DENSO Corporation as vice chairman. He was promoted to chairman in 2007.

DENSO, a leading global supplier of advanced automotive technology, systems and components, employs approximately 119,000 people in 32 countries and regions, including Japan. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 totaled US$40.2 billion.

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