Hyperdrive
New Panasonic CEO Wants to Make More Batteries for Tesla, Invest Billions in Shakeup
- New chief executive to spend two years sharpening operations
- Strategy seeks to enable large-scale M&A, boost battery output
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Panasonic Corp.’s new President and Chief Executive Officer Yuki Kusumi is embarking on a two-year mission: churn out more batteries for Tesla Inc. and shake free billions of dollars to invest in new areas of growth by making the company more efficient.
He won’t be doing that from the second-floor office used by the company’s founder, a room overlooking a fountain and manicured lawn dotted with statues at Panasonic’s Osaka headquarters. The 56-year-old, who rose through the engineering ranks, is shunning the space to work alongside staff.