Shingo Ueno

Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sumitomo

Search every verified Shingo Ueno interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Shingo Ueno, who became CEO of Sumitomo Corporation about two months prior to a late June 2024 interview, stated that he aims to shift the company's approach "from defense to offense" and pursue "dramatic growth" over the next two years. He identified a focus on reallocating management resources into key areas such as agribusiness, and noted that the company evaluates potential investments based on dollar-denominated value rather than yen fluctuations. Ueno also announced a change to the company's shareholder return policy, which he said was intended to attract investors. Regarding the weak yen, Ueno said that a weaker yen is beneficial for Sumitomo to some extent, but added that "such a poor, say, Japanese yen depreciation... not good for the country's strengths in the long run." He declined to comment on specific conversations with activist investor Elliott Management, but stated that the company is open to discussing suggestions from various investors. Ueno also confirmed that Sumitomo has been communicating with Berkshire Hathaway, which he said has expressed expectations for the company's future growth.