TOKYO: Toshiba’s CEO resigned on Wednesday as a buyout offer from a private equity fund stirs turmoil inside the storied Japanese company, with reports suggesting two other funds are considering bids.
Nobuaki Kurumatani’s resignation is the latest development in years of upheaval at the firm, which only won back its spot on the first section of the Tokyo stock exchange earlier this year after restructuring.
The board accepted Kurumatani’s resignation “as he has completed his mission of revitalising Toshiba”, Osamu Nagayama, head of the firm’s appointment committee told reporters after the company confirmed the departure.
Kurumatani declined to appear before journalists, but a statement from him was read out at the event.
His departure comes as board members raise questions about the buyout offer from CVC Capital Partners, where Kurumatani formerly headed Japanese operations — though Nagayama insisted claims of a conflict of interest had “nothing to do” with the resignation.
The private equity firm is reportedly offering a deal in excess of $20 billion, but there are reports that some in Toshiba see that sum as too small.
The Japanese conglomerate has worked to right the ship after a major accounting scandal in 2015 and the 2017 bankruptcy of its US nuclear subsidiary.
After sweeping restructuring, its earnings rebounded and it returned to the prestigious first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in January.
A statement from Kuramtani said he was stepping down given the return, as he had “completed my mission”.
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