In conversation with Neha Saraiya about the memorable moments in his journey and what it means to be India Head of Nikon Corporation
His association with India might be
just two years old but he has already travelled to over 45 cities across the country and savoured almost all popular Indian delicacies including Dal Makhani, Masala Dosa and Chicken Tikka. After all, he wanted to know the real India to fulfill his ultimate dream – to establish Nikon as a local company in India and not as a Japanese brand. Today, he not only understands India well, but has also developed a penchant for Indian food. “When I had sambar for the first time, it seemed to be too heavy for me, but my affinity towards this dish has today made it my preferred breakfast whenever I stay in the southern part of the country. Even at airports, whenever I have to travel early and have time, I love to have sambar,” says Hiroshi Takashina, the newly appointed Managing Director of Nikon India (he was appointed on June 1, 2010).Hiroshi Takashina succeeded Hidehiko Tanaka, the former head of Nikon India, who after establishing Nikon India and strengthening the division’s organisation during his three-year tenure, was moving back to Japan to take over a new assignment within Nikon Corporation. But it was not actually Takashina’s knowledge about the Indian culture that made him the successor to Tanaka’s throne, but actually his sales credentials. “His one and half year performance here in India to lead the sales and marketing team instilled confidence in me that he could take over the new role as MD of Nikon India,” Tanaka had commented when he left India. In fact, prior to Nikon, Takashina has also worked with one of Japan’s leading auto manufacturers for more than 24 years, looking after West Asia, Africa and Europe.
One thing that Takashina can never be suspected of is lack of vibrancy. His yellow tie and high spirits are enough to rest even the most irreverent critic. While yellow, we’re told, connotes Nikon’s symbol, Takashina’s enthusiasm conveys his mission, which is to establish Nikon firmly on the Indian soil. Takashina confesses to us that this is a far cry from his childhood dream of becoming a musician – while in his college days, he apparently tried his hand at several instruments, with his favourite being the piano; today, Takashina hardly gets time to play them.
Takashina is a self-confessed avid reader and a strategist who has an eye for detail. But with a preponderance of sales and marketing in his past background, doesn’t the role of an MD, which encompasses many more functions, confound him? Pat comes the honest reply, “I was always associated with sales and marketing in a major way but yes, fields like operations, HR and finance are new to me. So I am learning every day.”
Nikon, which landed on the Indian soil in November 2007, is still in an establishment phase and as such contributes just below 3% to its parent company’s revenues. This is considerably low when compared to other Asian markets like China and Japan that contribute a healthy 10-20% to Nikon’s global turnover. However, there has been a slow shift happening in the Indian digital camera market, which is a positive indication for the company’s growth. As Takashina puts it, “Currently a lot of professionals are using DLSR cameras. What happened in Japan earlier is now happening in India. As now more consumers are shifting to this range, there is a tremendous opportunity waiting for us.” In fact, Nikon’s quick drive to grab a 45% market share in this segment last year (which is anticipated to reach 50% by the end of 2010) stands testimony to this statement.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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