Japan Telecom gets Vodafone exec as president

Japan Telecom named William Morrow president, replacing interim president Haruo Murakami. Murakami will become chairman of the company. Chairman Koichi Sakata will be promoted to senior adviser. The appointments will take effect Dec. 21, pending shareholder approval.

Previously, Morrow was vice president and country manager in Japan for Vodafone Group, which currently owns 66.7% of Japan Telecom shares, and owns 69.7% of its mobile unit, J-Phone.

In addition, Japan Telecom is reducing the number of board members from 31 to 13 to “enhance corporate governance and decision-making speed.” On Oct. 31, Clive R. Ansell resigned.

The following are slated to resign after the Dec. 21 shareholders meeting: directors Koichi Sakata, Tsutomu Kotani, Masujiro Matsuo, Shunsuke Kimura, Noboru Ubayama, Taro Sasaki, Tadae Kataoka, Hideki Yamauchi, Hajime Ihara, Tadao Miyake, Bradley E. Whitcomb, Hiroyuki Chida, Hidehiko Kubo, Akio Igarashi, Yutaka Nakano, Satoo Horike, Matsuo Numazawa, Hiroshi Kubo, Takashi Iemoto, Tetsuya Yuge, Naohiko Ito, and Shinichi Sakamoto.

Four new directors will be joining the board: Ted Toshihiko Katagi, Darryl E. Green, Mike Clements and Michael J. Pitt. Jack Lester will become the company’s statutory auditor.

--Amalia D. Parthenios, staff writer